Eight Is Legend posted:What are some essential books about being in your mid-20's, wondering what to do with your life, stuck between youth and adulthood? On The Road
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Jul 17, 2012 16:20
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I'm looking for easy to read novellas, or short stories, in Spanish. I have just finished taking four semesters of the language and I wish to continue on learning it on my own. I have had people recommend me to read children stories, but I would like to have more interesting stuff to keep me busy during my days off! It can be any genre, I am not too picky. I would prefer the works to be short, as I don't want to spend the entire summer looking up words in a dictionary, but I am open to any recommendations. Some authors I enjoy: Albert Camus, Franz Kafka, Eugène Ionesco and H.G. Wells.
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Jul 17, 2012 17:39
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MadcapLily posted:I'm looking for easy to read novellas, or short stories, in Spanish. I have just finished taking four semesters of the language and I wish to continue on learning it on my own. I have had people recommend me to read children stories, but I would like to have more interesting stuff to keep me busy during my days off! The obvious choice if you like Camus and Kafka would be Borges. Look up "The Library of Babel" and if you like that grab a copy of his complete short stories in Spanish. I dunno if he's "too hard" or whatever (I read him in english translation) but he's a great short story writer. EDIT: I think this is "The Library of Babel" in spanish: http://www.literaberinto.com/vueltamundo/bibliotecaborges.htm Hieronymous Alloy fucked around with this message at 20:14 on Jul 17, 2012 |
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Jul 17, 2012 20:11
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MadcapLily posted:I'm looking for easy to read novellas, or short stories, in Spanish. I have just finished taking four semesters of the language and I wish to continue on learning it on my own. I have had people recommend me to read children stories, but I would like to have more interesting stuff to keep me busy during my days off! Ever read anything by Julio Cortazar? His collection Blow-Up and other stories has some great stuff in it, especially The Night Face Up and the title story. Borges is great, too.
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Jul 17, 2012 23:44
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:The obvious choice if you like Camus and Kafka would be Borges. Look up "The Library of Babel" and if you like that grab a copy of his complete short stories in Spanish. I don't know why I didn't think of Borges! My teacher mentionned him many times during classes. I have read about half of La Biblioteca de Babel and while I got stuck at some parts it's overall not too hard to read. I really like his writing style so far. barkingclam posted:Ever read anything by Julio Cortazar? His collection Blow-Up and other stories has some great stuff in it, especially The Night Face Up and the title story. Borges is great, too. I only read his biography and what were his influences and I know that I am going to love this author. Bonus: he also wrote in French, which is awesome because it's my first language. I am definitely going to look him up. Many thanks to both of you!
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Jul 18, 2012 02:51
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MadcapLily posted:I'm looking for easy to read novellas, or short stories, in Spanish. Roberto Bolano's Last Evenings on Earth
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Jul 18, 2012 03:01
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MadcapLily posted:I don't know why I didn't think of Borges! My teacher mentionned him many times during classes. I have read about half of La Biblioteca de Babel and while I got stuck at some parts it's overall not too hard to read. I really like his writing style so far. You might also try Gabriel Garcia Marquez if you haven't already - he's written a number of short stories/novellas as well. Although like HA mentioned with Borges, I've only read them in English so I have no idea how difficult the original Spanish is. Edit: Not really a "recommendation" per se that I need, but more a reading advice question. Buddy from work recommended Bernard Cornwell and I've been enjoying one of his more recent books (Agincourt) recently. I know he's most famous for the Sharpe series - do those have to be read in chronological/publication order or are they able to stand alone without prior knowledge/spoilers? Encryptic fucked around with this message at 03:12 on Jul 18, 2012 |
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Jul 18, 2012 03:09
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Encryptic posted:You might also try Gabriel Garcia Marquez if you haven't already - he's written a number of short stories/novellas as well. Although like HA mentioned with Borges, I've only read them in English so I have no idea how difficult the original Spanish is. As far as I can tell, the prequel trilogy set in India (Sharpe's Tiger, Triumph, and Fortress) need to be read one after the other (the first one, Tiger, stands on its own but to read the next two you'll want to know what happened in the first, and you'll be totally lost if you try to jump straight into Fortress without reading the first two) but other than that, no, not particularly, other than the occasional line referencing past books, but they're never plot critical or anything. I haven't read the whole series, but so far that's the way it's been. I'd recommend chronological order, though, just because Sharpe's Tiger is my favorite of the ones I've read so far. I could just be biased because I love books set in India, but it was really good.
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Jul 18, 2012 03:19
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Just finished Microserfs and JPod by Douglas Coupland. Loved Microserfs for the characters (and the fun personalities), narrative style, diary form, nice-but-not-plot-central romance, general nerdiness. JPod was also enjoyable but adds a completely absurd plot (a little too absurd; the story barely stays grounded at all) and Coupland writes himself into the novel (it's awful beyond words). Any suggestions for further reading?
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Jul 18, 2012 07:43
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funkybottoms posted:Roberto Bolano's Last Evenings on Earth What are some books similar to Savage Detectives? I really enjoyed the insight into Latin American culture and its focus on youthful, tragic characters.
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Jul 18, 2012 15:26
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I greatly enjoyed the previous recommendations of "The Art of Fielding," "In One Person," and "The Line of Beauty," and have come seeking further wisdom from you goony gurus. Don't laugh, but do you know of any legitimate self-help books relating to getting your self-esteem built up?
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Jul 19, 2012 10:17
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MadcapLily posted:I'm looking for easy to read novellas, or short stories, in Spanish. I have just finished taking four semesters of the language and I wish to continue on learning it on my own. I have had people recommend me to read children stories, but I would like to have more interesting stuff to keep me busy during my days off! I also would recommend Garcia Marquez, of course; if you have a Kindle, there's a collection of all his short stories available for ~$5.00 here.
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Jul 19, 2012 16:09
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OSheaman posted:Just finished Microserfs and JPod by Douglas Coupland. Loved Microserfs for the characters (and the fun personalities), narrative style, diary form, nice-but-not-plot-central romance, general nerdiness. JPod was also enjoyable but adds a completely absurd plot (a little too absurd; the story barely stays grounded at all) and Coupland writes himself into the novel (it's awful beyond words). Any suggestions for further reading? This may get me shot in certain circles, but I think that Tao Lin is "the Douglas Coupland of his generation."
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Jul 19, 2012 18:01
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What is the best book on information about the Library of Alexandria? I don't want bullshit speculations. 0 conspiracy theories. I don't care if this book has 2 pages. Just something.
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Jul 20, 2012 07:14
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I just guzzled down Sergei Lukyanenko's Night Watch tetralogy over the last four days. It was absolutely fantastic in every way. What I want to know is if any of his other books are worth reading? Wikipedia lists a pretty large bibliography for the dude, but I am not only worried about the quality of his other books but also the quality of their English translations. If his other books aren't so great, than perhaps someone could suggest similar books by other authors? To help I will list what I liked most about the tetralogy: 1. The non-conventional fantasy elements (I am also a fan of China Mieville-y type stuff) 2. The internal consistency and logic of the world that allowed me to sometimes make accurate deductions about what was going to happen AND when I wasn't able to guess what happened, I could legitimately feel bad that I hadn't guessed. 3. The way the characters thought things through and generally made smart decisions (the HPMOR and Last Ringbearer fan fictions are guilty pleasures of mine).
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Jul 20, 2012 21:19
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Hey guys! I'm a sucker for the "Regular person becomes hero" thing, and I just feel like reading another one of those. I've read the usual suspects (Wheel of Time, Harry Potter, and so on.) Probably the most recent series I read was Trudi Canavan's Black Magician series, which fit the bill really nicely, since the protagonist started out as the lowest of the low and became pretty much the best of the best. Do you guys know of any other books that fit into that? I've been thinking about reading the Kvothe series, but I'd love some input!
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Jul 20, 2012 23:42
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KFJ posted:Hey guys! Raymond E. Feist's first few Riftwar books (Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master, Silverthorn, A Darkness at Sethanon) fit the bill. It's very standard fantasy fare. Pug and Thomas both start out as random peasants in a middle-of-nowhere border town in your standard fantasy medieval kingdom. And by the end, well, y'know... fantasy conventions.
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Jul 21, 2012 01:02
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KFJ posted:Hey guys! You might give the Darksword books by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman a try. They feature a magic-less protagonist in a world where most everyone has at least some magical ability. He tries to overcome his initial handicap and protagonize his way through the world anyway.
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Jul 21, 2012 01:11
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MadcapLily posted:I'm looking for easy to read novellas, or short stories, in Spanish. I have just finished taking four semesters of the language and I wish to continue on learning it on my own. I have had people recommend me to read children stories, but I would like to have more interesting stuff to keep me busy during my days off! I'd say pretty much anything Bolaño (excepting his novels) would be good for you. Most of his published work is either novellas or story collections and he's pretty popular, so it shouldn't be hard to find the originals. Also, there are a couple collections of his poetry published in English, with the original Spanish on the opposite page. I imagine something like that would help learn more of the language since poetry can be such a fluid thing (not that prose can't, but you know). EDIT: Forgot to include Bolaño's name up there 
Skavoovee fucked around with this message at 01:23 on Jul 21, 2012 |
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Jul 21, 2012 01:18
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DirtyRobot posted:Raymond E. Feist's first few Riftwar books (Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master, Silverthorn, A Darkness at Sethanon) fit the bill. It's very standard fantasy fare. Pug and Thomas both start out as random peasants in a middle-of-nowhere border town in your standard fantasy medieval kingdom. And by the end, well, y'know... fantasy conventions. I used to read the hell out of those books. I stopped because I just forgot to buy the newer ones, somewhere in the Darkwar Saga I think. That said, I really enjoyed all of those books, and The Serpentwar Saga also has that sort of "common guy becomes hero thing" with Erik von Darkmoor going from death row to awesome soldier dude.
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Jul 21, 2012 01:26
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KFJ posted:Hey guys! Okay I need to warn you away here. Avoid the Kvothe books like the plague. They're badly written, the story doesn't go anywhere and Rothfuss funnels all his own misogynist/Nice-Guy traits through the main character. And they're completely the opposite of what you're looking for. You're after "regular person becomes hero" and I can tell you now, Kvothe is not a regular person. He's a precocious child genius, the best magician the University has ever enrolled, the best musician anyone has ever heard. He's nothing but a wish-fulfilment dump for Rothfuss. I haven't read the second book because I have read absolutely scathing reviews, but apparently in that one he has sex with a succubus/syren/elf/sex-goddess type creature who has seduced thousands of mortals in her life, but is absolutely blown away that this 16 year old virgin is such a good lover! They are loving awful, just don't, do not read them. For an actual recommendation, try Un Lun Dun by China Miéville. It's a smart YA fantasy novel which plays around with a lot of fantasy tropes. For instance, the prophesised hero is taken out in the first few chapters, leaving her nerdy, shy friend to step in and do all the prophesised acts of heroism.
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Jul 21, 2012 03:23
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OSheaman posted:Just finished Microserfs and JPod by Douglas Coupland. Loved Microserfs for the characters (and the fun personalities), narrative style, diary form, nice-but-not-plot-central romance, general nerdiness. JPod was also enjoyable but adds a completely absurd plot (a little too absurd; the story barely stays grounded at all) and Coupland writes himself into the novel (it's awful beyond words). Any suggestions for further reading? The We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris might work. You could also just read more Douglas Coupland. He has a very consistant style. Generation X is a classic,
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Jul 22, 2012 02:34
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I've just finished the available books in the ASOIAF series by GRRM and am waiting for the new releases by Edward Lee and Brian Keene, I've heard good things about the Dark Tower series, just thought I see Goons' thoughts before I picked up the first book, is the series any good or is it a little tedious like some of Kings' other works?
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Jul 24, 2012 02:13
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BlindSite posted:I've just finished the available books in the ASOIAF series by GRRM and am waiting for the new releases by Edward Lee and Brian Keene, I've heard good things about the Dark Tower series, just thought I see Goons' thoughts before I picked up the first book, is the series any good or is it a little tedious like some of Kings' other works? A fair number of people think it's a rambling, self-indulgent mess, and most people find it pretty inconsistent (since it was written sporadically over the course of many years), but I love the story, world, and characters enough to override what problems I have with it (it is inconsistent and sometimes messy, but it works in the context of Mid-World, where most of the story takes place). I'm also not a massive King fan, if that makes a difference.
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Jul 24, 2012 02:29
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Most people only really feel that way about the final three books. The first four are solid, the last three are still worth reading, and the newest one, just released, is pretty much a return to form.
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Jul 24, 2012 03:58
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funkybottoms posted:A fair number of people think it's a rambling, self-indulgent mess, and most people find it pretty inconsistent (since it was written sporadically over the course of many years), but I love the story, world, and characters enough to override what problems I have with it (it is inconsistent and sometimes messy, but it works in the context of Mid-World, where most of the story takes place). DirtyRobot posted:Most people only really feel that way about the final three books. The first four are solid, the last three are still worth reading, and the newest one, just released, is pretty much a return to form. Cheers, I'll check 'em out
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Jul 24, 2012 04:28
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This is going to sound lame but I would like a book that tickles my ocean phobia. You know, something about deep seas with giant monsters. The Odyssey, Moby Dick, Jaws, The Abyss, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea... I've already read. As you can see the level of the text can be low or it can be very high, I just want me some drat sea monsters. And yes, whales are scary as hell to me. Like, I legitimately scare the hell out of myself playing that Endless Ocean game, if that gives you any perspective. The massive frontier of darkness surrounding me with enormous creatures. I've just been browsing lately and can't find anything. I need something light to flip through while I tackle Don Quixote.
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Jul 24, 2012 16:14
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escape artist posted:This is going to sound lame but I would like a book that tickles my ocean phobia. You know, something about deep seas with giant monsters. I'm reading Dead Sea by Tim Curran at the moment which is really loving scary. But it's a mishmash of horror styles. There's lots of big biological monsters, but there's also weird Lovecraftian other-dimensional monsters too. Still, it might scratch your itch. edit: also here's a huge loving list of books http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6251.Sea_Monster_Books_ edit 2: oh! how could I forget Sphere by Michael Crichton. Very creepy if a bit dumb in its reveal. edit 3: vvvvvvv thanks for reminding me I still need to read that! I have it on my Kindle, it was a free ebook from Watts' website. Hedrigall fucked around with this message at 16:27 on Jul 24, 2012 |
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Jul 24, 2012 16:18
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escape artist posted:This is going to sound lame but I would like a book that tickles my ocean phobia. You know, something about deep seas with giant monsters. Peter Watt's Starfish, which happens to be a goon favorite
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Jul 24, 2012 16:19
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Thanks! And thanks for not laughing at me, too 
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Jul 24, 2012 16:42
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funkybottoms posted:Peter Watt's Starfish, which happens to be a goon favorite Anything like Blindsight? I've been looking for another book to scratch the fiery itch that Blindisght started in my brain; a fictional narrative with deep propositions about the nature of perception and consciousness, that book hosed my brain so sweetly.
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Jul 24, 2012 21:18
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Loving Life Partner posted:Anything like Blindsight? Yes. I don't read much hard science-fiction, but I've never encountered anything that felt the same as Watts, and whenever I finished one of his books, I had to either read another or not pick up anything else for a week or two.* Starfish isn't quite as hard as Blindsight, but it's definitely hosed up and terrifying on a few levels (and there are sequels!). *Gene Wolfe does the same thing to me
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Jul 24, 2012 21:24
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escape artist posted:This is going to sound lame but I would like a book that tickles my ocean phobia. You know, something about deep seas with giant monsters. The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall may not be literally what you're looking for, but it's a pretty cool novel about this guy being chased by this metaphysical sharks that eat memories.
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Jul 25, 2012 02:55
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I've just finished Edmund Morris's 3 volume biography of Teddy Roosevelt, and I was wondering if anyone can recommend any other really great US presidential biographies.
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Jul 25, 2012 09:00
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Boner Calhoun posted:I've just finished Edmund Morris's 3 volume biography of Teddy Roosevelt, and I was wondering if anyone can recommend any other really great US presidential biographies. Caro's biography of LBJ is the most comparable one. He's written the first four volumes of a projected five—working for over 30 years on the project so far—and they're all stunningly good.
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Jul 25, 2012 17:07
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escape artist posted:This is going to sound lame but I would like a book that tickles my ocean phobia. You know, something about deep seas with giant monsters. The Scar, by China Mieville should be right up your alley.
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Jul 25, 2012 17:30
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Does anyone know any good books about the illegal organ trade? I just started thinking about how everyone jokes about selling their kidneys and poo poo and it occured to me that I have no idea how that business can possibly maintain itself. Obviously it has to happen, otherwise it wouldn't be a 'think' but I can't even imagine how it works.
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Jul 25, 2012 21:20
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The Red Market: On the Trail of the World's Organ Brokers, Bone Thieves, Blood Farmers, and Child Traffickers by Scott Carney. Horrifying.
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Jul 25, 2012 22:32
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Hey guys, I love historical fiction, particularly novels centered around WWII. The genre/time period are probably widely written about, so maybe some of you guys have some suggestions for me right off the bat? I really, really enjoyed David Benioff's City of Thieves. Again, I love the time period, it doesn't have to be centric on the war in an All Quiet sort of way. Any ideas? edit: Already read Slaughterhouse Five of course! Enjoyed it immensely as well.
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Jul 27, 2012 04:44
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Just blazed though Jurassic Park for the first time. Couldn't put it down. Loved the "scientific" exposition. Looking for something to read next. Is there a consensus on Michael Crichton's best/worst novels?
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Jul 27, 2012 04:50
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