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dokmo posted:Nonfiction: gently caress yeah. Thanks. bowmore posted:You should read Mistborn. And then get hooked on everything Brandon Sanderson writes. I figure it's ineveitable. I might read Mistborn next time I have a vacation or something. As a followup, and kind of on the same track. I recently read "Dogs of War" and "The Day of the Jackal" and I want MORE MORE MORE. Are the rest of his books as good? I'm not too much interested in spy novels (literally everybody says "Oh bollig, you should read Carre, which I will probably do) I guess those count as thrillers but man, anything like "Dogs of War".
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Nov 19, 2012 12:06
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bollig posted:I figure it's ineveitable. I might read Mistborn next time I have a vacation or something. 
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Nov 19, 2012 12:08
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Starting a new manufacturing/warehouse job in a small 20 people company which sort of has a good possibility to to for advancement if I play my cards right. The current way the people are running stuff at the warehouse and ingress/egress of materials and finished products has been sort grown together along the years and is filled with bottlenecks. Has anybody any recommendations on books on how to run resource management in a small company focused in subcontracted manufacturing? I'd be interested in software solutions currently in vogue too.
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Nov 19, 2012 15:33
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elbow posted:A couple of months ago I read Patrick DeWitt's The Sisters Brothers which I really enjoyed. Can anyone recommend something similar in setting? It doesn't have to be set during the gold rush specifically, I'd even love to read something set in a place like Fallout New Vegas. I guess I'm looking for a good western, but I don't know where to begin looking. I, too, really liked The Sisters Brothers. A couple others I've enjoyed: Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. Dark, disturbing, a little challenging to read, but it reads like a western set in hell. Ghost Town by Robert Coover. A post-modern western where the rules of the world constantly change and warp. Hard book to explain, but I found it to be very compelling.
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Nov 19, 2012 17:09
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I'm in the mood for something scary or creepy (and fictional). Something with a real sense of dread would be good. Anybody have any suggestions? Doesn't have to be straight-out horror.
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Nov 20, 2012 03:55
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elbow posted:A couple of months ago I read Patrick DeWitt's The Sisters Brothers which I really enjoyed. Can anyone recommend something similar in setting? It doesn't have to be set during the gold rush specifically, I'd even love to read something set in a place like Fallout New Vegas. I guess I'm looking for a good western, but I don't know where to begin looking. I just finished Warlock by Oakley Hall. It is a alternative take on Tombstone and it is amazing. It is a western that questions not only who truly is the bad guy but what motivates the heroes of westerns. Written in the 50's I was surprised at the depth of the book as a western. I found it to be a must read of American Literature.
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Nov 20, 2012 05:08
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Sucrose posted:I'm in the mood for something scary or creepy (and fictional). Something with a real sense of dread would be good. Anybody have any suggestions? Doesn't have to be straight-out horror. Easy answer would be something by Stephen King (stuff like the Shining or Salem's Lot).
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Nov 20, 2012 05:11
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Sucrose posted:I'm in the mood for something scary or creepy (and fictional). Something with a real sense of dread would be good. Anybody have any suggestions? Doesn't have to be straight-out horror. Thomas Ligotti
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Nov 20, 2012 05:41
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tonytheshoes posted:I, too, really liked The Sisters Brothers. A couple others I've enjoyed: nate fisher posted:I just finished Warlock by Oakley Hall. It is a alternative take on Tombstone and it is amazing. It is a western that questions not only who truly is the bad guy but what motivates the heroes of westerns. Written in the 50's I was surprised at the depth of the book as a western. I found it to be a must read of American Literature. Blood Meridian has actually been on my to-read list for a while, don't know why I didn't think of that, and the other two both sound really intriguing! Thanks guys.
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Nov 20, 2012 07:21
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Sucrose posted:I'm in the mood for something scary or creepy (and fictional). Something with a real sense of dread would be good. Anybody have any suggestions? Doesn't have to be straight-out horror. I bought Penpal by Dathan Auerbach ($5 on Kindle) based on the strength of the many reviews saying how loving terrifying it is. Haven't read it yet, but it's up next for me. It apparently started as a series of Reddit posts, then raised 1000% of its goal on Kickstarter and got published as a book. Take that how you will. I'm still looking forward to it. Hedrigall fucked around with this message at 08:18 on Nov 20, 2012 |
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Nov 20, 2012 08:16
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I'm interested in Retro futurism, mainly the style you would find in like 1930e-1950s but I don't want to read pop drivel from the 40s. Maybe something like the Lensman series, but more recent, or maybe even a scholarly study on the genre. Please stay away from steampunk titles in your recommendation. One of these is a window into the ideals of a past era, the "Best" steampunk titles were simply pop sci-fi for their time and I have never felt anything but hate for every single one I have found. They are degenerate and foolish.
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Nov 20, 2012 10:04
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elbow posted:Blood Meridian has actually been on my to-read list for a while, don't know why I didn't think of that, and the other two both sound really intriguing! Thanks guys. You might also be interested in Butcher's Crossing by John Williams, another book along with Warlock in that revisionist-Western trend that presaged Blood Meridian. Really quick read, too.
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Nov 20, 2012 16:32
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Mr.Drf posted:I'm interested in Retro futurism, mainly the style you would find in like 1930e-1950s but I don't want to read pop drivel from the 40s. Maybe something like the Lensman series, but more recent, or maybe even a scholarly study on the genre. Only thing that springs to mind is "The Night Land" by William Hope Hodgson but I don't think it's precisely what you want.
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Nov 20, 2012 17:06
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Only thing that springs to mind is "The Night Land" by William Hope Hodgson but I don't think it's precisely what you want. No, but it is really close, I want wildly absurd ideas about what the future could of been. I think I'll do some research on my own and take my question to the scifi thread. Is anyone here a avid reader of mystery novels? I've been making my way through the complete sherlock Holmes. I'd like something more recent, but I want to stick clear of the stupid libertarian dick measuring that I am finding trying to pick books up myself. Are there any police or espionage thrillers that are more centered on the crime, victims, and investigative process? I've read a few of the Alex Cross, some of the James Bond novels but I want more teamwork and less "look at my giant patriot schlong, it shoots bullets at the bad people I'm a womanizing nightmare but everyone still loves me because criminals are supervillians and every cop has a troubled past." Am I being too picky? Don't be confused, I enjoyed all those books, I just want a hero that isn't so much "larger than life.". I want a regular dude, who faces normal criminals and works with a team to do the right thing and in the end evolves as a person. I tried just googling the best mysteries/thrillers, but the lists seem polluted a lot by over the top, hyper patriotic, hyper sexual super cops and spies, and that makes me not trust my own research. In this same subject does anyone read "true crime" books and know of any cases and books might fit what I've described? I am sorry to lump cop and spy fiction together, but the more outlandish the heroes, the more similar they all seem to be. Mrfreezewarning fucked around with this message at 01:14 on Nov 21, 2012 |
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Nov 20, 2012 22:24
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beta posted:Starting a new manufacturing/warehouse job in a small 20 people company which sort of has a good possibility to to for advancement if I play my cards right. The current way the people are running stuff at the warehouse and ingress/egress of materials and finished products has been sort grown together along the years and is filled with bottlenecks. This is an interesting question, but I think you'll get a better response here: http://forums.somethingawful.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=200
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Nov 21, 2012 02:22
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Any good books about the war in Afghanistan and the soviet invasion there, basically why/how the country is been in a state of war for so long.
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Nov 21, 2012 07:13
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Ulio posted:Any good books about the war in Afghanistan and the soviet invasion there, basically why/how the country is been in a state of war for so long. Soviet invasion: The Great Gamble: The Soviet war in Afghanistan by Gregory Feifer. Afgantsy: The Russians in Afghanistan, 1979–89 by Rodric Braithwaite. why/how the country is been in a state of war for so long: Afghanistan: A Military History from Alexander the Great to the War against the Taliban by Stephen Tanner Afghanistan: A Short History of Its People and Politics by Martin Ewans The Great Game, the most fascinating, romantic period of Afghan history, the shadow war between Britain and Russia: The Great Game: On Secret Service in High Asia by Peter Hopkirk Tournament of Shadows: The Great Game and the Race for Empire in Central Asia by Karl Ernest Meyer
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Nov 21, 2012 15:10
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Mr.Drf posted:No, but it is really close, I want wildly absurd ideas about what the future could of been. Well if you started with Alex Cross, you deserve everything you got because James Patterson is kind of a hack. I recommend beginning with some of the classics of the genre if you want more believable protagonists, villains, and crimes. The Nero Wolfe series is excellent. The narrator, Archie Goodwin, is a sort of more-sardonic Watson to Wolfe's exceptionally-eccentric Holmes. Begin with The League of Frightened Men and Some Buried Caesar, then go through the entire series in whatever order. Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett practically defined the hard-boiled genre, though I'm not as much as fan of the latter as of the former. Start with Chandler's masterpiece, The Long Goodbye, then read The Big Sleep, Farewell, My Lovely, and basically the rest of his canon. They're not all as good as those three but are still very enjoyable. For Hammett, go with Red Harvest and The Maltese Falcon. I haven't read any Agatha Christie since middle school, but from what I remember I tend to agree with Chandler's assessment that her plotting was at times very implausible. Still, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, And Then There Were None, and Murder on the Orient Express made an impression on me as a young reader and are worth at least one read--DO NOT read anything about them online beforehand or you WILL be spoiled. Other assorted recommendations: Asimov's The Caves of Steel is a very good sci-fi mystery. Graham Greene's Our Man in Havana is a hilarious satire of the spy novel. The Postman Always Rings Twice has the criminal as its narrator and I prefer the novel to the film version. Wilkie Collins's The Moonstone is an excellent early example of the mystery novel (the narrator who sees Robinson Crusoe as a sort of holy text is my favorite) and established many of the tropes of the genre; The Woman in White is also highly regarded. For true crime, In Cold Blood is supposed to be THE classic of the genre; I haven't read it myself but it is on my to-read list and certainly should be worth it for you to check out. These should be enough to get you started. You may not get so much of the teamwork aspect out of these that you're looking for, but you'll certainly get human beings facing human criminals.
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Nov 21, 2012 18:44
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I was a big fantasy reader back in my high school days (which was long long ago), and in the last 10 years the only fantasy series I have read is Martin's ASOIAF and Abercrombie's First Law. I love them both, and I also have read The Lies of Locke Lamora, but not the second book (is it worth it?). So where do I go now? Is there anything out there that compares with Martin and Abercrombie's work? Anything that is written for adults while turning its back on the typical fantasy tropes? I have heard about Scott Baker's series The Prince of Nothing, and I did read 10 pages or so in a bookstore. Not sure after reading those 10 pages if it is what I am looking for. Am I wrong? nate fisher fucked around with this message at 19:00 on Nov 21, 2012 |
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Nov 21, 2012 18:58
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Mr.Drf posted:Are there any police or espionage thrillers that are more centered on the crime, victims, and investigative process? I've read a few of the Alex Cross, some of the James Bond novels but I want more teamwork and less "look at my giant patriot schlong, it shoots bullets at the bad people I'm a womanizing nightmare but everyone still loves me because criminals are supervillians and every cop has a troubled past." I like Sandford's Prey series in this vein (Minnesota cop, capable but flawed, great dialogue and use of setting). Some convenient background pieces (chiefly that he's wealthy from a previous life) but pretty relatable. There are also a billion of them, so if you like them you're set for 10,000 pages of entertainment. I pre-order them on sight, so another opinion might also be of value. Also, the Bosch books by Michael Connolly, and probably the Alex Delaware books by Kellerman. Grizzled L.A. cop (think Lennie Brisco); child psychologist who consults for the LAPD on crimes that as a parent make me a bit uncomfortable at times. Espionage thrillers tend to be either pretty dry or outlandish, and rarely very teamworky, IMO. You could try A Spy By Nature. The Jack Reacher books are literally crafted to match the formula of the ideal action thriller (the author was very deliberate about it), but are still IMO pretty enjoyable in exactly the way that, f.e., Brad Thor isn't. Not much flag-waving, lots of detailed hand-to-hand combat, mostly "pissed off the Big Guy in small town, no choice but to settle things" plots. If you're going to try them, do it before the movie with Tom Cruise as Reacher (6'4"+, broad, brick wall) wrecks your mental image.
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Nov 21, 2012 21:17
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A little while ago I read John Clark's Ignition! An Informal History of Liquid-Fuel Rocket Propellants, and loved it. A very pleasant read, enough technical information on the physics and chemistry involved while still remaining comprehensible to someone who specializes in neither, with interesting anecdotes and historical context to tie it all together. What I'm looking for is more books in the same vein on the 20th century space programs, especially the design, engineering, and testing side of things (as opposed to the missions themselves). An Ignition! equivalent for solid fuels would be pretty interesting, I think (if anyone ever took up Clark's suggestion that someone should write one!). I've already had Moon Lander: How We Developed the Apollo Lunar Module recommended to me; any other suggestions? (P.S. Ignition! owns, go read it)
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Nov 21, 2012 21:40
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dokmo posted:Soviet invasion: Awesome Dokmo, gonna have a look at one of each.
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Nov 22, 2012 04:21
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Looking for a short speculative fiction story (or several?) to read at a monthly "Let's sit around and read short stories to each other" night. What I've realized is that I'm much better at acting or narrating, so to speak, so stories that are really heavy on dialog or even outright told in the format of transcripts are what I'm looking for. I read Candle Cove last time cause that was the first thing I could think of that met these criteria. But basically, anything that's sci-fi/fantasy/horror, 10 minutes or less to read, and composed mainly of dialog is what I'm looking for. Is anything coming to mind?
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Nov 22, 2012 05:49
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Jonny Angel posted:Looking for a short speculative fiction story (or several?) to read at a monthly "Let's sit around and read short stories to each other" night. What I've realized is that I'm much better at acting or narrating, so to speak, so stories that are really heavy on dialog or even outright told in the format of transcripts are what I'm looking for. I read Candle Cove last time cause that was the first thing I could think of that met these criteria. But basically, anything that's sci-fi/fantasy/horror, 10 minutes or less to read, and composed mainly of dialog is what I'm looking for. Is anything coming to mind? They're Made Of Meat. Pretty much exactly what you're after.
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Nov 22, 2012 12:11
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ToxicFrog posted:A little while ago I read John Clark's Ignition! An Informal History of Liquid-Fuel Rocket Propellants, and loved it. A very pleasant read, enough technical information on the physics and chemistry involved while still remaining comprehensible to someone who specializes in neither, with interesting anecdotes and historical context to tie it all together. I don't have any suggestions for you (except maybe to also ask in the GBS Spaceflight megathread), but your description of this book sounded interesting so I looked and discovered it is available for free online if anyone else wants to read it! http://library.sciencemadness.org/library/books/ignition.pdf
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Nov 23, 2012 04:14
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Another request since Dokmo was so quick last time. Any definite books about Vikings? About their culture, mythology, and traditions.
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Nov 24, 2012 05:24
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Ulio posted:Another request since Dokmo was so quick last time. I don't really know much about northern european history, and I only have two viking books in my library: The Norsemen by Count Eric Carl Gabriel Oxenstierna The Vikings by Magnus Magnusson I can't remember much about the second book and I can't find my notes on it, although I remember enjoying it. Despite being almost 50 years old, the first book may be more what you're looking for, as it does touch a lot on their myths and culture (it is also very well illustrated). Both of these books you can find cheap used copies on amazon.
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Nov 24, 2012 18:25
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dokmo posted:The Norsemen by Count Eric Carl Gabriel Oxenstierna This might be the reason I can't find anything on it on the net. The Vikings, looks good though more of a social look on the people than a culture traditional explanation of their lifestyles. Going to read a preview before making a purchase.
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Nov 25, 2012 01:51
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I'm looking for books about great adventures. Not really fantasy or anything, but something like Robinson Crusoe or Moby Dick. A book that'll take me places, but not in the genre of A Song of Fire and Ice.
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Nov 26, 2012 02:35
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Thanks everyone! Those recommendations were exactly what I wanted.
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Nov 26, 2012 02:53
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eravulgaris posted:I'm looking for books about great adventures. Not really fantasy or anything, but something like Robinson Crusoe or Moby Dick. A book that'll take me places, but not in the genre of A Song of Fire and Ice. Possibly a bit limited in its setting, but one of the best books about adventures I've read is Life of Pi by Yann Martel, about a boy who is shipwrecked and ends up in a lifeboat with a tiger.
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Nov 26, 2012 06:10
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eravulgaris posted:I'm looking for books about great adventures. Not really fantasy or anything, but something like Robinson Crusoe or Moby Dick. A book that'll take me places, but not in the genre of A Song of Fire and Ice. What about Shardik by Richard Adams? It gets called fantasy sometimes, but there is no magic or anything like that (subject to interpretation to a certain degree). It's about a hunter and a bear that may or may not be god, or something like that. I don't want to say any more about it, but it'll be one of the best books you've ever read, I promise.
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Nov 26, 2012 06:44
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Sears Poncho posted:What about Shardik by Richard Adams? It gets called fantasy sometimes, but there is no magic or anything like that (subject to interpretation to a certain degree). It's about a hunter and a bear that may or may not be god, or something like that. Why not just start with Watership Down if you're going to be reading Richard Adams? Shardik is good, but Watership Down is one of the best books written in the 20th century, and equally an adventure story. Other suggestions: Count of Monte Cristo, Treasure Island, She or King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard.
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Nov 26, 2012 06:48
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Why not just start with Watership Down if you're going to be reading Richard Adams? Shardik is good, but Watership Down is one of the best books written in the 20th century, and equally an adventure story. I like Shardik better  but yeah, read Watership Down too.
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Nov 26, 2012 06:50
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A good old 19th century boys own adventure novel is The Coral Island by RM Ballantyne.
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Nov 26, 2012 07:22
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Thirding Watership Down, it is fantastic. R.L. Stevenson's Treasure Island and Kidnapped are also obvious suggestions for adventure novels, as is Huckleberry Finn. Another great one is The Wind in the Willows.
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Nov 27, 2012 01:23
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Can anyone recommend me some good short stories? A while back someone in this thread recommended me Idle Days on the Yann by Lord Dunsany (thanks, that was a good call), and I really like the format of his stories, fitting in so that I can take a break from scientific and theoretical literature for 10-30 minutes and then go back. I prefer ones with unusual plots, like I love the way Dunsany's stories have things like waves that talk and whatnot, and I like that he focuses so much on environment. I'm not much for character driven stories, but if the character doesn't follow typically human norm-set and rules then I'm alright with it. The only short stories I've read are by Dunsany and then Forward's "Dragon's Egg" but it was too long and I lost track of what was going on. Someone here also suggested Sum by Eagleman which I guess is a sort of (very) short story, I really liked that as well - so much so I had to read his Incognito as well. I don't really know where to go since I know nothing about fiction, so both authors and single standalone pieces are welcome. Also, if there are any stories that play with the idea of the soul, I would love to know about them.
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Nov 27, 2012 14:52
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If you want more Dunsany, check out Time and the Gods which collects a shitload of stories. Jorge Luis Borges wrote pretty much only short stories. They are mostly about weirdness, mazes, dreams, mirrors. The nature of stories and reality. You can find all his short fiction in one volume, but any of the individual collections are good too Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino takes a scientific fact (like the fact that the moon used to be closer to the earth) and makes an odd short story about it (a story about climbing on a ladder up to the moon to collect some moon gunk) Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut is his best short fiction collection, or at least the most well known. There are a few others and they are all good. The Mind's I by various authors, it isn't just fiction, but short writing from various fields, some fiction some not. I mention this because you say you want something about the soul, that's the main idea here. Everything that Rises Must Converge by Flannery O'Connor isn't weird, but it's good. If you want some Sci-fi check out any of the short story collections by Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, or Ray Bradbury who all wrote tons of short fiction.
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Nov 27, 2012 16:25
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Sears Poncho posted:If you want some Sci-fi check out any of the short story collections by Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, or Ray Bradbury who all wrote tons of short fiction. Harlan Ellison is fantastic in the short story format as well.
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Nov 27, 2012 17:52
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Free Weedlord posted:Can anyone recommend me some good short stories? Agree with everyone so far and will add Ron Currie, Jr's God is Dead and Matt Mullins' Three Ways of the Saw
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Nov 27, 2012 18:11
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