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My top 5 poirots: Five Little Pigs Cards on the Table The Hollow The ABC Murders The Murder of Roger Ackroyd/Murder on the Orient Express (take your pick; two decently well written mysteries with extremely bold twists)
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Jun 25, 2023 01:52
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Leraika posted:My top 5 poirots: No Curtain?
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Jun 25, 2023 03:46
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Curtain is 1)not very good, 2)absolutely not the first Poirot to read.
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Jun 25, 2023 09:31
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anilEhilated posted:Curtain is 1)not very good, 2)absolutely not the first Poirot to read. One out of two. Please don't read Curtain first. (To be fair, it's been a while since I read it...) Ackroyd is wonderful.
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Jun 25, 2023 09:50
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Teach posted:
Is it worth reading if I already have the reveal spoiled for me?
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Jun 25, 2023 15:26
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regulargonzalez posted:Is it worth reading if I already have the reveal spoiled for me? I would say yeah. The first time I read it, I got to the end and immediately flipped back to the beginning to re-read, and really enjoyed looking for any clues that foreshadowed the twist.
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Jun 25, 2023 17:06
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regulargonzalez posted:Is it worth reading if I already have the reveal spoiled for me? Have you ever re-watched a film with a twist, trying to see where you were told, explicitly, what was going to happen, but you missed it? (I'm looking at you, The Prestige.) Yes, it's worth re-reading! Plus, it's under 300 pages.
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Jun 25, 2023 17:37
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Honestly I think a read of Ackroyd where you know the twist is just as good but in a different way. 3D Megadoodoo posted:No Curtain? I'm kinda lukewarm on Curtain. I love the central conceit but a lot of the writing surrounding it is a little clumsy, I guess? and I'm not a huge fan of the ending. Either way, I wouldn't recommend it as babby's first Poirot anyway.
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Jun 26, 2023 00:52
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Don't get me wrong, even a bad Poirot is better than your average mystery*, and Curtain's not a bad Poirot, but if I had to pick five, Curtain wouldn't be on the list. *except Hickory Dickory Dock and Elephants Can Remember which I am much less charitable about
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Jun 26, 2023 01:04
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I'd say The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is good but I found it really annoying for reasons I won't discuss. I'd also suggest not reading it as your first Poirot.
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Jun 26, 2023 19:19
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Tom Tucker posted:I'd say The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is good but I found it really annoying for reasons I won't discuss. I read it as my first Poirot and thought it was a bit of a slog. The plot is great but I think it would have been better as a short story instead of a full length novel. I’m an impatient reader though and that might be why I like the Sherlock Holmes collections.
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Jun 27, 2023 00:17
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Howdy. I'd like to try some religious texts as a new reading project. I wasn't raised in a faith, so my knowledge is built entirely from cultural osmosis, and I'd like to change that. Specifically, I want to find the best(?) versions of the big three Abrahamic texts: Torah, Bible, and Koran. However, if anyone has a good pitch for books outside that sphere, I'm all ears. Hinduism seems pretty metal.
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Jun 28, 2023 16:01
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Skippy McPants posted:Howdy. I'd like to try some religious texts as a new reading project. I wasn't raised in a faith, so my knowledge is built entirely from cultural osmosis, and I'd like to change that. Specifically, I want to find the best(?) versions of the big three Abrahamic texts: Torah, Bible, and Koran. The Mahabharata, which includes the Bhagavad Gita
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Jun 28, 2023 18:32
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Skippy McPants posted:Howdy. I'd like to try some religious texts as a new reading project. I wasn't raised in a faith, so my knowledge is built entirely from cultural osmosis, and I'd like to change that. Specifically, I want to find the best(?) versions of the big three Abrahamic texts: Torah, Bible, and Koran. You can find just about anything in terms of mythology and folklore and religion free online here: https://www.sacred-texts.com/ but the translations will be about a hundred years old so as to avoid copyright issues. I'd suggest also reading the Tao te Ching. It's short, open to interpretation, and espouses a philosophy that you may find useful. You virtually have to read multiple translations though to get any sense of the meaning. Hieronymous Alloy fucked around with this message at 18:43 on Jun 28, 2023 |
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Jun 28, 2023 18:40
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Skippy McPants posted:Howdy. I'd like to try some religious texts as a new reading project. I wasn't raised in a faith, so my knowledge is built entirely from cultural osmosis, and I'd like to change that. Specifically, I want to find the best(?) versions of the big three Abrahamic texts: Torah, Bible, and Koran. If you'd like to read the Qur'an, I strongly recommend reading the Jewels of the Koran by Al-Ghazali instead, at least for a first pass. The Qur'an has a complex textual history, but one of the results is that the first chapter, Surat al-Fatiha, is brief and evocative, but the second chapter, Surat Al-Baqara, is really long and wide-ranging, covering stuff from how to do the Hajj to rules about divorce to some discussion of the status of Christians and Jews to a whole thing about how to properly contract a loan etc. etc. It's basically impenetrable, and makes a lot of non-Muslims give up early on. In Jewels of the Koran Al-Ghazali arranges the chapters (and even the verses) according to their topic and provides an exegetical framework for approaching the Qur'an that's incredibly valuable for someone who is more interested in reading some original texts to get a deeper feel for the book than they are in properly dividing an inheritance in 7th century Medina.
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Jun 28, 2023 19:11
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Skippy McPants posted:Howdy. I'd like to try some religious texts as a new reading project. I wasn't raised in a faith, so my knowledge is built entirely from cultural osmosis, and I'd like to change that. Specifically, I want to find the best(?) versions of the big three Abrahamic texts: Torah, Bible, and Koran. if you are open to listening rather than reading theres a great podcast called Bible in A Year where every day the host covers a part of the bible (going chronologically) while providing context and other input to help understand it. Its hosted by a priest and a nice balance of informative without being too dry. i should note it is hosted by a Catholic priest so it is offering a specifically Catholic interpretation of the bible (although its not about the Church, the host does a seperate podcast calles Catechism in a year for that, this one is very Bible focused). You can just keep listening when one episode ends if you dont wanna do it once a day too.
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Jun 28, 2023 20:23
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I really want to pick up reading again. I'm the classic "read constantly until phones happened" millennial. I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit it, but I'd like to recapture some of the magic I felt reading the Harry Potter books when I was a kid/teenager. By that, I mean fun fiction where I use my imagination to conjure up vivid images of characters and settings. Ideally it would (in descending order of importance). 1) not be not written by a horrible TERF. 2) have diverse characters. 3) Be somewhat modern, ie: from the last 15 or so years, the more modern the better, to be honest. 4) Be generally optimistic. I don't mean nothing bad happens, just in general characters and the world evolve for the better. It can be a standalone story, doesn't have to be part of a series or universe or whatever. This is all just a general vibe, recommendations that you feel fit the general goal are more than welcome.
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Jun 29, 2023 04:41
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wheatpuppy posted:Have you heard the gospel of Bridge of Birds?
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Jun 29, 2023 04:53
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The Young Wizards series is pretty good if you're looking for a more sci-fi take on magic. The series started in 1983, last book was published in 2016 (+ short stories published later), but the author's gone back and updated the first few books (edit: all the books published at the time) around 2012 iirc.
Leraika fucked around with this message at 05:15 on Jun 29, 2023 |
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Jun 29, 2023 05:13
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dpkg chopra posted:I really want to pick up reading again. I'm the classic "read constantly until phones happened" millennial. Jenna Moran's The Night-Bird's Feather.
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Jun 29, 2023 05:23
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Leraika posted:The Young Wizards series is pretty good if you're looking for a more sci-fi take on magic. The series started in 1983, last book was published in 2016 (+ short stories published later), but the author's gone back and updated the first few books (edit: all the books published at the time) around 2012 iirc. Honestly a lot of older "YA" books are probably a good bet for someone easing back into reading. Most of Diana Wynne Jones's catalog would fit the prompt (though Homeward Bounders is, imo, a real downer). Or The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper. They aren't really modern, but I feel like they are kinda timeless?
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Jun 29, 2023 05:37
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Really what I want to recommend is Earthsea tbh
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Jun 29, 2023 05:40
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My kid is very into Percy Jackson right now and Riordan seems like an ok dude
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Jun 29, 2023 05:45
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Martha Wells's "Murderbot" SF series is the first thing that popped into my mind. Most of it is novellas so they go down pretty quick. Murderbot (the name the character gave itself) is very cynical but there are a lot of people around it as the series goes on who are determined to make it feel like it has a place in the universe with people who care about it. I find them fun, though arguably Murderbot is a little overpowered since it has a pretty advanced hacking suite in its head in a universe where there's a lot of computer control everywhere, which means it solves a lot of problems through hacking various systems to give itself an advantage. The first is All Systems Red.
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Jun 29, 2023 06:21
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dpkg chopra posted:I really want to pick up reading again. I'm the classic "read constantly until phones happened" millennial. i know theyre for kids but i enjoy reading them as an adult too: Redwall might be worth checking out. If youre getting back into reading theyre easy to read while still being interesting. Oops its not modern im dumb. still a good series so ill leave it in. Hits the "magic" target v well imo. Kvlt! fucked around with this message at 06:47 on Jun 29, 2023 |
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Jun 29, 2023 06:43
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dpkg chopra posted:I really want to pick up reading again. I'm the classic "read constantly until phones happened" millennial. Lois McMaster Bujold's Challion series is good for this (and Bujold generally). The Goblin Emperor is recommended a lot. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell might work as well You can never truly go back but here's some older childrens stuff that might be good Diana Wynne Jones has been mentioned but Tove Janson never gets old, Joan Aiken as well. Tamora Pierce is very wizard schooly. If you want to inject pure junk for adults into your brain that's widely popular, there's Patrick Rothfuss and Brandon Sanderson
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Jun 29, 2023 12:48
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Skippy McPants posted:Specifically, I want to find the best(?) versions of the big three Abrahamic texts: Torah, Bible, and Koran. Sounds like you might want to look into works like The Making of the Bible: From the First Fragments to Sacred Scripture and A History of the Bible: The Story of the World's Most Influential Book (both of which have been well received. by religious institutions, they're not deliberately iconoclastic)
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Jun 29, 2023 13:02
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dpkg chopra posted:I really want to pick up reading again. I'm the classic "read constantly until phones happened" millennial. If you like sci-fi, check out Becky Chambers. I personally like her Wayfarer books more than her new Monk and Robot, but all of her stuff fits this bill. Wayfarer isn't really a series as much as four books in the same universe, though there's some crossover characters. You don't really need to read them in order (maybe read the first, first though). Monk and Robot is a series that needs to be read in order.
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Jun 29, 2023 14:09
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dpkg chopra posted:I really want to pick up reading again. I'm the classic "read constantly until phones happened" millennial. I'd recommend the Binti novellas. They're delightful and accessible and afrofuturism is great!
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Jun 29, 2023 14:12
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tuyop posted:I'd recommend the Binti novellas. They're delightful and accessible and afrofuturism is great! Afrofuturism is great, and I'm gonna hijack your comment to request some recommendations in that particular genre because I'm sadly under-read in that regard.
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Jun 29, 2023 14:26
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Erwin posted:I read it as my first Poirot and thought it was a bit of a slog. The plot is great but I think it would have been better as a short story instead of a full length novel. I’m an impatient reader though and that might be why I like the Sherlock Holmes collections. Simenon wrote a lot (probably more than 500 pages worth of) of Maigret novellas, by the by. They're not bad but focus a bit too much on Maigret. E: I'm assuming that they're available in several languages but who knows.
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Jun 29, 2023 14:42
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Leraika posted:Afrofuturism is great, and I'm gonna hijack your comment to request some recommendations in that particular genre because I'm sadly under-read in that regard. I think I’d recommend The City We Became as a very quality lovecraftian afrofuturist piece. It’s so good and it’s written by and about poor people of colour and oppressed groups in direct conversation with the subgenre’s white supremacist roots. Basically gentrification as cosmic horror. Octavia Butler is a pillar of afrofuturism. Read Kindred and Parable of the Sower. She writes sci fi in a way that I don’t know how to describe and haven’t found outside her work. It’s an extreme economy of setting maybe. I don’t know, I’m not smart enough in literature maybe. Colson Whitehead recently won a Pulitzer for his amazing historical fiction The Nickel Boys and his sci fi is interesting and literary at points. He’s kind of like a black Cormac McCarthy. The Underground Railroad is the relevant book here. I really appreciated Zone One as a literary zombie novel about grief, loss, memory and trauma. It’s not afrofuturism exactly because it foregrounds a Latin woman’s experience, but I really loving loved Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy. I think it should be read because it also focuses on the horrors of our ableist, sexist, and racist healthcare systems, none of which have changed in the 50 years since it was written.
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Jun 29, 2023 14:56
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Skippy McPants posted:Howdy. I'd like to try some religious texts as a new reading project. I wasn't raised in a faith, so my knowledge is built entirely from cultural osmosis, and I'd like to change that. Specifically, I want to find the best(?) versions of the big three Abrahamic texts: Torah, Bible, and Koran. What's the purpose behind your reading? This isn't intended to be as combative a question as that looks upon rereading, but like - are you just wanting to learn about the various mythologies? Are you looking to convert? Are you curious about their place and context in history? Are you just wanting to actually read the texts as they are? Those questions can sway what sort of book you end up with. There have been some good suggestions in the thread, I'm just honestly also curious about the drive you feel to read them, and that might help focus what you end up reading.
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Jun 29, 2023 15:55
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Captain Monkey posted:What's the purpose behind your reading? This isn't intended to be as combative a question as that looks upon rereading, but like - are you just wanting to learn about the various mythologies? Are you looking to convert? Are you curious about their place and context in history? Are you just wanting to actually read the texts as they are? Just looking to read the texts as they are, as much as possible, to absorb the source material. I'm not opposed to a bit of additional context, but I'm not looking for commentary, philosophy, or wider considerations. And no, I won't be adopting any faith unless I stumble upon a coupon for billion-dollar bills that give blowjobs. Skippy McPants fucked around with this message at 20:36 on Jun 29, 2023 |
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Jun 29, 2023 20:32
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Skippy McPants posted:Just looking to read the texts as they are, as much as possible, to absorb the source material. I'm not opposed to a bit of additional context, but I'm not looking for commentary, philosophy, or wider considerations. And no, I won't be adopting any faith unless I stumble upon a coupon for billion-dollar bills that give blowjobs. I haven't read the Quran, but from my experience reading the Bible, you may absorb the source material a lot better if you choose an annotated text or something like Gnoman suggested. Otherwise it's real easy to get bogged down in all the begats and miss out on the underlying cultural context.
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Jun 29, 2023 21:08
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If Baby Jesus had given a gently caress about underlying cultural context, he would've annotated it himself. Checkmate, athestits.
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Jun 29, 2023 22:40
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Thank you all for the recommendations! Going to see what the library has available and start there!
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Jun 30, 2023 04:52
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Are there any steampunk books actually worth reading? I'm not interested in China Mieville's stuff.
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Jun 30, 2023 06:08
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Bruce Sterling and William Gibson's The Difference Engine is considered a major work of the genre. I've got mostly positive impressions left from having read it, but also it's been so long I don't really remember anything in detail.
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Jun 30, 2023 06:19
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The Half-Made World is a neat otherworldly western with demonic locomotives and guns. Don't let that be a turnoff, the author makes it work.
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Jun 30, 2023 07:23
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