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dexter6 posted:I’m a 37/M and I’ve never been a big reader. I somehow got through highschool and college by just paying attention in class and reading the cliff’s notes. If you liked Just Mercy why not try some early Grisham like A Time to Kill or The Firm. Maybe legal thrillers are your thing! He wrote some great ones.
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Feb 17, 2022 12:43
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I've been really enjoying a reread of The Count of Monte Cristo, and I'd like to go through the D'Artagnan romances and/or other books by Dumas. Are there particular English editions which are well regarded? I'd like to avoid mediocre translation, and if possible I'd really like to buy hardcover. If there are other of his stories I should read too, I'm open to that as well.
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Feb 18, 2022 20:07
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Sarern posted:I've been really enjoying a reread of The Count of Monte Cristo, and I'd like to go through the D'Artagnan romances and/or other books by Dumas. Are there particular English editions which are well regarded? Are you reading the modern translation of Count? It was retranslated in -- I think the 90s? -- and all prior translations cut out the drug use among other things. If you got the drug trip ending you read the modern one.
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Feb 19, 2022 17:27
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Are you reading the modern translation of Count? It was retranslated in -- I think the 90s? -- and all prior translations cut out the drug use among other things. I'm only about 400 pages in but there've been a lot of glowing mentions of hashish and a combination of opium and hashish, so it sounds like the ebook is modern. I'm on an ebook version though, and still a fan of physical books so I want to get good translations to add to my hoard.
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Feb 19, 2022 18:12
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Sarern posted:I'm only about 400 pages in but there've been a lot of glowing mentions of hashish and a combination of opium and hashish, so it sounds like the ebook is modern. I'm on an ebook version though, and still a fan of physical books so I want to get good translations to add to my hoard. See if it's the Robin Buss / Penguin Classics translation from 1996. https://welovetranslations.com/2018/12/11/whats-the-best-translation-of-the-count-of-monte-cristo/#translator-5
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Feb 19, 2022 18:14
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Has anyone written Karl May -style adventure books in this millennium? Or hell, even at the end of the previous one? Only without the old-timey racism and all that.
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Feb 26, 2022 23:50
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What are some entertaining nonfiction books about controversies in science and academia? Such as The Linguistics Wars by Randy Allen Harris (the new edition of which is on my to-read list). I'm primarily interested in stuff related to linguistics, cognition/neuroscience, and biology, but other fields are welcome too if the more technical aspects are explained in a way accessible to the general reader.
ScienceSeagull fucked around with this message at 01:42 on Mar 3, 2022 |
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Mar 3, 2022 01:40
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There simply must be a good book about the Bone Wars.
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Mar 3, 2022 01:50
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ScienceSeagull posted:What are some entertaining nonfiction books about controversies in science and academia? Such as The Linguistics Wars by Randy Allen Harris (the new edition of which is on my to-read list). I'm primarily interested in stuff related to linguistics, cognition/neuroscience, and biology, but other fields are welcome too if the more technical aspects are explained in a way accessible to the general reader. Jesus christ, my degree is in linguistics so that sounds interesting and I took a look, and the EBOOK version is $55!?
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Mar 3, 2022 02:40
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ScienceSeagull posted:What are some entertaining nonfiction books about controversies in science and academia? Such as The Linguistics Wars by Randy Allen Harris (the new edition of which is on my to-read list). I'm primarily interested in stuff related to linguistics, cognition/neuroscience, and biology, but other fields are welcome too if the more technical aspects are explained in a way accessible to the general reader. You might like DFW’s essay on the Dictionary Wars that’s in Consider the Lobster. I think it’s 100 pages or so?
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Mar 3, 2022 03:02
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Franchescanado posted:You might like DFW’s essay on the Dictionary Wars that’s in Consider the Lobster. I think it’s 100 pages or so? this one? https://genius.com/David-foster-wallace-tense-present-democracy-english-and-the-wars-over-usage-annotated
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Mar 3, 2022 06:09
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Stringent posted:this one? Yes, but he edited it more for the book. This is the version from the book: Authority and American Usage
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Mar 3, 2022 14:00
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I recently read Redemption's Blade which scratched an itch I didn't know I had. I've read lots of fantasy books and experienced many Hero(ine)'s Journeys that end the book in success (or a messy version of success). This book explored what happens after the journey is over and the Big Bad is vanquished. Things don't immediately get better, and the world is still hosed up. I really dug that premise and enjoyed the exploration of the complexities of a world re-building after the ultimate evil was removed. I'm sure this exists in many novels, but I'm not sure where to start. Any recommendations?
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Mar 6, 2022 15:47
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Good-Natured Filth posted:I recently read Redemption's Blade which scratched an itch I didn't know I had. I've read lots of fantasy books and experienced many Hero(ine)'s Journeys that end the book in success (or a messy version of success). This book explored what happens after the journey is over and the Big Bad is vanquished. Things don't immediately get better, and the world is still hosed up. I really dug that premise and enjoyed the exploration of the complexities of a world re-building after the ultimate evil was removed. The first half of the second of Justin Cronin’s vampire books (the twelve?) has a similar vibe. Otherwise a total turd though, imo.
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Mar 6, 2022 22:06
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Good-Natured Filth posted:I recently read Redemption's Blade which scratched an itch I didn't know I had. I've read lots of fantasy books and experienced many Hero(ine)'s Journeys that end the book in success (or a messy version of success). This book explored what happens after the journey is over and the Big Bad is vanquished. Things don't immediately get better, and the world is still hosed up. I really dug that premise and enjoyed the exploration of the complexities of a world re-building after the ultimate evil was removed. This is explicitly the theme of the second book in the Dune series, Dune Messiah. The first book is a classic Hero's Journey, and a lot of people get really turned off by Messiah, which is about (without any explicit spoilers) the character(s) from the first book being essentially demoralized while grappling with the political and philosophical ramifications of what they've achieved. Books 3 and 4 are about implementing the progressively grander scale political and philosophical solutions to what is learned in book 2. This is why, while everyone has their own personal recommendations, my recommendation is to either read book 1 (for the classic Hero's Journey experience) or books 1-4 (for the full thematic cycle). Books 5+ and other associated semi-sequels are trash.
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Mar 7, 2022 14:47
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Lewd Mangabey posted:This is explicitly the theme of the second book in the Dune series, Dune Messiah. The first book is a classic Hero's Journey, and a lot of people get really turned off by Messiah, which is about (without any explicit spoilers) the character(s) from the first book being essentially demoralized while grappling with the political and philosophical ramifications of what they've achieved. Books 3 and 4 are about implementing the progressively grander scale political and philosophical solutions to what is learned in book 2. This is why, while everyone has their own personal recommendations, my recommendation is to either read book 1 (for the classic Hero's Journey experience) or books 1-4 (for the full thematic cycle). Books 5+ and other associated semi-sequels are trash.  Messiah and Children of Dune are some pretty big downers but they also set up God Emperor, which is totally loving bonkers but also the capstone of the series, bringing all the philosophy and long-term plots of the other books together. So you get not just the "what comes after the hero's journey" but also what comes after what comes after. Dune is great but those first 4 books combined really show Herbert's genius and imagination. I stopped reading after God Emperor and never regretted it. It's an incredible quartet.
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Mar 7, 2022 15:56
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Eason the Fifth posted:
The trend towards increasing horniness continues in the fifth and sixth books. Not bad
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Mar 7, 2022 16:06
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Good-Natured Filth posted:I recently read Redemption's Blade which scratched an itch I didn't know I had. I've read lots of fantasy books and experienced many Hero(ine)'s Journeys that end the book in success (or a messy version of success). This book explored what happens after the journey is over and the Big Bad is vanquished. Things don't immediately get better, and the world is still hosed up. I really dug that premise and enjoyed the exploration of the complexities of a world re-building after the ultimate evil was removed. The first Mistborn trilogy is explicitly about this. The hero won and was basically all-powerful, as the hero is wont to be. And then needed to do bad things in the name of the greater good. And then the line gets blurred. And then Mistborn book 1 starts. (Book 1 via publishing order, The Final Empire)
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Mar 7, 2022 17:57
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I'm looking for a good scifi book that involves life on, or exploration of, a generation ship. The idea of Space Archaeology fascinates me. Something like Rendezvous with Rama but on a generation ship would be cool.
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Mar 8, 2022 00:50
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Annath posted:I'm looking for a good scifi book that involves life on, or exploration of, a generation ship. The idea of Space Archaeology fascinates me. Something like Rendezvous with Rama but on a generation ship would be cool. Kim Stanley Robinson's Aurora.
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Mar 8, 2022 00:59
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I'm looking for any fiction by Indigenous Australian authors. I'd be particularly interested in Indigenous Futurism from one of those authors.Annath posted:I'm looking for a good scifi book that involves life on, or exploration of, a generation ship. The idea of Space Archaeology fascinates me. Something like Rendezvous with Rama but on a generation ship would be cool. I'd recommend: The Stars are Legion by Kameron Hurley Children of Time (a sub-plot throughout takes place on a generation ship) by Adrian Tchaikovsky Dust by Elizabeth Bear In that order.  Oh and Tao Zero for that classic Sci Fi vibe. tuyop fucked around with this message at 02:54 on Mar 8, 2022 |
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Mar 8, 2022 01:38
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Thanks for the recommendations, thread! I've had Mistborn on my "To Read" list for awhile, so I think I'll bump it up. I read Dune in high school, and I honestly don't remember very much of it other than the painful hand box thing and riding giant sandworms. Maybe I'll give it another go and potentially continue into the sequels.
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Mar 8, 2022 03:12
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Annath posted:I'm looking for a good scifi book that involves life on, or exploration of, a generation ship. The idea of Space Archaeology fascinates me. Something like Rendezvous with Rama but on a generation ship would be cool.
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Mar 8, 2022 09:34
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Eason the Fifth posted:
I think once I finish this Studs Terkel book and the last of the original Earthsea trilogy I'm going to start on the first four Dune books. I've always LOVED the first book, probably read it about 3-4 times at this point but never went beyond there. Going to make the effort this time to read at least the first sequel.
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Mar 10, 2022 02:34
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Can anyone recommend a good secular book about the historicity of Jesus? I specify "secular" because I'm not really looking for anything trying to confirm or deny Jesus's divinity, more of a discussion on what we know in terms of facts and contemporary records.
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Mar 11, 2022 00:44
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Antivehicular posted:Can anyone recommend a good secular book about the historicity of Jesus? I specify "secular" because I'm not really looking for anything trying to confirm or deny Jesus's divinity, more of a discussion on what we know in terms of facts and contemporary records. I enjoyed Reza Aslan's Zealot, but I don't know if that's quite what you're looking for -- it's more a biography of the historical Jesus.
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Mar 11, 2022 01:41
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Antivehicular posted:Can anyone recommend a good secular book about the historicity of Jesus? I specify "secular" because I'm not really looking for anything trying to confirm or deny Jesus's divinity, more of a discussion on what we know in terms of facts and contemporary records. Did Jesus Exist? by Bart Ehrman might be what you are looking for. The book comes down strongly in favor of "yes" to the question in the title (which is the overwhelming academic consensus), so its not a balanced presentation of arguments, but it does pretty thoroughly cover the evidence about the topic. Ehrman is a secular scholar, and the book is mostly unconcerned with whether Jesus was divine or not, just whether he existed and what evidence we have for that question.
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Mar 12, 2022 23:13
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If the overwhelming academic consensus is yes, then a yes seems pretty balanced to me. Balance isn't artificially weighting the fringe.
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Mar 13, 2022 00:17
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Which version of Les Fleurs du Mal is recommended? I'm looking for an eng/fr copy.
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Mar 14, 2022 06:53
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PRADA SLUT posted:Which version of Les Fleurs du Mal is recommended? I'm looking for an eng/fr copy. Edna St. Vincent Millay translation. By far.
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Mar 14, 2022 10:58
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Antivehicular posted:Can anyone recommend a good secular book about the historicity of Jesus? I specify "secular" because I'm not really looking for anything trying to confirm or deny Jesus's divinity, more of a discussion on what we know in terms of facts and contemporary records. My Jesus loving wife bought me Person of Interest. Written by a former atheist homicide detective who searches the evidence for proof of Jesus. He becomes a believer but it's pretty secular. At least the first half is...Haven't finished it yet. https://www.amazon.com/Person-Inter...ps%2C257&sr=8-5
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Mar 16, 2022 14:18
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28 years old and never knew much about the Cold War until I started picking up an interest in current day geopolitics. Are there any good recommendations for books that cover the proxy wars and regional conflicts that resulted from the decolonization of Africa and the subsequent efforts by western and soviet powers to influence the local situations? The gist that I've come away with from dipping my toes into this history is that the 70s and 80s were loving insane.
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Mar 18, 2022 02:03
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There a fun book on the Qanon bullshit yet?
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Mar 18, 2022 02:26
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Arc Hammer posted:28 years old and never knew much about the Cold War until I started picking up an interest in current day geopolitics. Are there any good recommendations for books that cover the proxy wars and regional conflicts that resulted from the decolonization of Africa and the subsequent efforts by western and soviet powers to influence the local situations? The gist that I've come away with from dipping my toes into this history is that the 70s and 80s were loving insane. All the Shah's Men by Stephen Kinzer is an excellent book about the first US-backed coup of the Cold War Empire's Workshop by Greg Grandin is an overview of American meddling in Latin America throughout the 20th century, which gives you a better perspective than just focusing on the Cold War era. Not a book, but the second season of the podcast Blowback is all about America's relationship with Cuba, especially after the Revolution. It's really great.
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Mar 18, 2022 03:37
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Arc Hammer posted:28 years old and never knew much about the Cold War until I started picking up an interest in current day geopolitics. Are there any good recommendations for books that cover the proxy wars and regional conflicts that resulted from the decolonization of Africa and the subsequent efforts by western and soviet powers to influence the local situations? The gist that I've come away with from dipping my toes into this history is that the 70s and 80s were loving insane. "The Savage Wars of Peace" by Max Boot is pretty good, It's been revised and updated recently, I read it 30 odd years ago but I remember enjoying it.
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Mar 18, 2022 12:38
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Arc Hammer posted:28 years old and never knew much about the Cold War until I started picking up an interest in current day geopolitics. Are there any good recommendations for books that cover the proxy wars and regional conflicts that resulted from the decolonization of Africa and the subsequent efforts by western and soviet powers to influence the local situations? The gist that I've come away with from dipping my toes into this history is that the 70s and 80s were loving insane. The Fate of Africa is very good. Big continent-wide history of independence. It’s less a history of the Cold War than a history of colonialism but same genre imo: The Open Veins of Latin America is amazing.
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Mar 18, 2022 14:39
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Technically outside of the cold war but perhaps the best milhist book I've read recently was Dancing In The Glory of Monsters, which I think did a great job of showing how the consequences of cold war neocolonialism (here more the US and France than the US and USSR) made peace a seeming impossibility while also not falling into the incredibly common patronizing racism of attributing all action and rationality to the white people in the story. As much as the US and France and Belgium all created a miserable context for the people of central Africa, it is still an African story.
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Mar 18, 2022 14:47
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Arc Hammer posted:28 years old and never knew much about the Cold War until I started picking up an interest in current day geopolitics. Are there any good recommendations for books that cover the proxy wars and regional conflicts that resulted from the decolonization of Africa and the subsequent efforts by western and soviet powers to influence the local situations? The gist that I've come away with from dipping my toes into this history is that the 70s and 80s were loving insane. I have two on my two read pile: The Assassination of Lumumba and Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa, both on the Congo specifically. Congo got weird in Cold War intrigue, dragging into the topic such luminaries as Che Guevara, Luis Armstrong, and Dag Hammarskjold
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Mar 19, 2022 05:07
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I'm interested in finding a sci-fi horror book, something in the vein of Alien. It's a surprisingly sparse niche as far as I've been able to tell!
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Mar 20, 2022 18:00
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Stephen King has some, most notably Tommyknockers. And IT is technically an alien and closer to feel to Alien although calling it science fiction is a stretch. My personal favorite of his, Revival, is probably science fiction as well, at least technically. And I guess technically there are aliens too. Maybe Michael Crichton - Sphere
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Mar 20, 2022 19:02
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