|
Utter Amnesty posted:I'm looking for a really fun above average action and/or adventure novel. I mowed through a few Jack Reacher books and enjoyed them okay but my thought afterwords was "I'd like to read something like this but better." It's cool to see Reacher be smarter than everyone else but the books are pretty lackluster otherwise. I know that's super vague but I'm casting a wide net on purpose. I had pretty much the same thoughts on the Reacher series. The part at the end of the books where he was all "I had this figured out 200 pages ago, but I'm going to reveal it to you now in 3 pages" got a bit old. I'd put like 1 out of every 4 of the series in the "good" column. Try the Mitch Rapp series by Vince Flynn if you want some more action. Start with the prequel (American Assassin). It hooked me right away. http://www.vinceflynn.com/vinceflynnchronologicalorderbooklist.pdf
|
#
?
Feb 24, 2016 19:32
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 12, 2024 09:49 |
|
|
If you want to check out Reacher's literary forebears, John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee books still hold up pretty well.
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2016 00:20
|
|
|
The Vosgian Beast posted:What's a good book about cryptids? I don't mind it being skeptical so long as a fair amount of time is spent on what is claimed about the cryptid and what the people who believe in it believe. When I was into this stuff, I especially liked Cryptozoology: Science & Speculation by Chad Arment, Sasquatch: True-Life Encounters With Legendary Ape-Men by Rupert Matthews, and the Encyclopedia Of Cryptozoology by Michael Newton.
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2016 05:22
|
|
|
Utter Amnesty posted:I'm looking for a really fun above average action and/or adventure novel. I mowed through a few Jack Reacher books and enjoyed them okay but my thought afterwords was "I'd like to read something like this but better." It's cool to see Reacher be smarter than everyone else but the books are pretty lackluster otherwise. I know that's super vague but I'm casting a wide net on purpose. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John LeCarre?
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2016 06:36
|
|
|
LionYeti posted:Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John LeCarre? One of my favorites. Polishing off everything I haven't read by LeCarre isn't a bad idea though... darthbob88 posted:Clive Cussler do it for you? I liked them until I noticed how formulaic everything was. Haven't yet read it, but possibly Kavalier and Clay? Any advice on specific entry points for Cussler? I've tried to pick up him up from time to time but couldn't get into him but it feels like the kind of books I would read. Kavalier and Clay deeply resonated with me, though, when it came out and I revisit it every few years. So I like the cut of your recommendation's jib. Thanks for the book suggestions everyone. Reserving them at the library now so once I'm done with Seveneves and Reamde, I can go on a tear. too much dead rat fucked around with this message at 07:10 on Feb 26, 2016 |
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2016 07:58
|
|
|
Utter Amnesty posted:I'm looking for a really fun above average action and/or adventure novel. I mowed through a few Jack Reacher books and enjoyed them okay but my thought afterwords was "I'd like to read something like this but better." It's cool to see Reacher be smarter than everyone else but the books are pretty lackluster otherwise. I know that's super vague but I'm casting a wide net on purpose. Not sure it's what you're looking for but I enjoyed the Nick Velvet stories by Edward D Hoch. They're a series of short stories about a thief named Nick Velvet, who exclusively steals monetarily worthless items for clients who pay him a flat fee. They're a bit more Ocean's Eleven than Jack Reacher but they're fun little adventure heist stories.
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2016 09:12
|
|
|
I hope one of you can help me find a book for a friends son. He'll be 10 soon, but has trouble reading so his reading "level" is not that good. He finds this very frustrating, because he does like to read, but the books that would be engaging enough for him are too hard for him to read, so he either loses interest because the story is too childish, or gives up because the reading difficulty. He enjoys reading the Geronimo Stilton books, so if anything I can find one of those. He also likes to read Naruto, Kenshin and One Piece manga(sp?). He does read both in English and Dutch. Thanks!
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2016 12:17
|
|
|
Utter Amnesty posted:One of my favorites. Polishing off everything I haven't read by LeCarre isn't a bad idea though...
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2016 13:06
|
|
|
Did he really?
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2016 13:07
|
|
|
Mr. Squishy posted:Did he really? edit: I don't know, maybe his Cold War stuff felt as relevant when it was happening but his late books really read like politics first and stories second. anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 13:18 on Feb 25, 2016 |
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2016 13:15
|
|
|
dordreff posted:Not sure it's what you're looking for but I enjoyed the Nick Velvet stories by Edward D Hoch. They're a series of short stories about a thief named Nick Velvet, who exclusively steals monetarily worthless items for clients who pay him a flat fee. They're a bit more Ocean's Eleven than Jack Reacher but they're fun little adventure heist stories. I'm open to anything good (and even airport garbage with redeemable elements)! Reacher is just a jumping off point. I've just read so much dense sci-fi/fantasy and have so many suggestions in that realm that I want to let loose on earth a little . Hasseltkoffie posted:I hope one of you can help me find a book for a friends son. It's been some time since I've read them but, at that age, my favorite books were The Chronicles of Prydain series. They're well-written but very easy to understand high fantasy books about an assistant Pig Keeper and his friends going on adventures together and growing up as the books go on. The series has more adult feel to it without having anything objectionable. It can be a little dark for a children's book, scary bad guy with a skull helmet, a horrible zombie magic army, and some difficult choices considering its reading level but with strong lessons and a solid positive message attached (it's really fine, the author is just good at making the peril vivid). The books are almost 50 years old now, so I don't know how much that matters to a kid today, but I'm sure you can a lot more suggestions for newer stuff. The first one is the Book of Three. anilEhilated posted:Be warned, he went crazy after 9/11. Didn't we all. 
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2016 13:26
|
|
|
I haven't but he's always been anti-American and anti-corporation. In a lot of the Smiley novels the yanks provide a timer for Smiley because he needs to sort things out before they get involved with their sledgehammers and all (I think I'm thinking of An Honourable Schoolboy in particular), and The Constant Gardener was written... huh, it was published November 2001 but I'm guessing it wasn't all written in two months. I'm not going to say that he's writing as good a thriller as he ever did but I don't think his politics have changed dramatically.
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2016 13:28
|
|
|
LionYeti posted:Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John LeCarre? It's funny how people can take different things from the same books. I cannot imagine a more different character from Lee Child's Hobo Sherlock Superman than John le Carré's Smiley.
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2016 13:50
|
|
man
|
Hasseltkoffie posted:I hope one of you can help me find a book for a friends son. Graphic novels are good- I gave my eight year-old nephew a bunch of Doug TenNapel stuff for Christmas and he loves them. Kazu Kibuishi's Amulet series is also tight. dokmo posted:It's funny how people can take different things from the same books. I cannot imagine a more different character from Lee Child's Hobo Sherlock Superman than John le Carré's Smiley. Yeah, I was scratching my head over that one, too...
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2016 14:21
|
|
|
Hasseltkoffie posted:I hope one of you can help me find a book for a friends son. Off the top of my head: the Percy Jackson books by Rick Riordan, Brian Jacques's Redwall books, or Jeff Smith's Bone comics might all be good.
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2016 16:08
|
|
|
My son had some reading issues early on as well. I'd second the graphic novel route. He really enjoyed the Tintin series.
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2016 16:20
|
|
|
If you're looking for graphic novels for kids, I'd recommend: Giants Beware! and the sequel, Dragons Beware! by Jorge Aguirre and Raphael Rosado. A series about a girl named Claudette attempting to follow in the footsteps of her father, a famous warrior. Fun, cute little adventures. Zita the Spacegirl series by Ben Hatke. Sci-fi adventures of a girl named Zita who gets sucked through a portal to an alien planet, and has to make her way home. Again, fun and cute adventures. Cucumber Quest, by Gigi DG. A young boy, Cucumber, is forced into his family tradition of being legendary heroes as he reluctantly combats a ressurected ancient evil, the Nightmare Knight, with the help of his over-enthusiastic sister Almond and the cowardly knight Carrot. Currently being published as a webcomic, but there are three collected graphic novel versions you can get as well. A truly excellent comic which I can't recommend enough. I'd also second Bone by Jeff Smith. A big fantasy adventure epic about a trio of cartoon-character looking guys who find themselves exiled from their home town for hijinks, and get lost in a mysterious valley with some serious poo poo going on. One of the best graphic novel series ever made, though I'd definitely suggest checking it out yourself to work out if it's good for your friend's kid's reading level; it gets a bit involved and convoluted in later parts, and is seriously huge (the collected edition comes out to around 1300 pages) which might well put off a kid who struggles with reading. Also by Jeff Smith, try Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil. Young street kid Billy Batson's life is changed forever when he meets the wizard Shazam and gains the power to turn into the superhero Captain Marvel, blessed with the powers of the Greek gods (and Solomon for some reason). A fantasic re-telling of the Captain Marvel origin, and an excellent standalone story even if you don't care about superheroes. And for a more traditional novel, maybe try Please Don't Tell My Parents I'm a Supervillain by Richard Roberts. Penny Akk is the daughter of two former superheroes who is determined to become a superhero in her own right, but a series of misunderstandings and poor decisions lead her to a life of crime instead. It's possibly a bit too reliant on its audience recognising superhero tropes, but it's a fun little book even if you don't know much about superheroes. There's also a sequel, Please Don't Tell My Parents I Blew Up the Moon, which is not as good (a good two-thirds feels like the author was writing an unrelated steampunk-in-space story and just threw the original characters into that) but is still readable if he enjoys the first one. Hope some of that helps.
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2016 22:07
|
|
|
dordreff posted:Zita the Spacegirl series by Ben Hatke. Sci-fi adventures of a girl named Zita who gets sucked through a portal to an alien planet, and has to make her way home. Again, fun and cute adventures. I like these, too. Also fully intended on including Bone, which works for readers of all levels, and think Tintin is another great recommendation. Redwall is good, as well, because what little boy doesn't want to read about anthropomorphic ferrets with swords and poo poo?
|
|
#
?
Feb 26, 2016 02:31
|
|
|
I grew up reading A Series of Unfortunate Events at that age. It doesn't talk down to kids, it's full of literary references and jokes, and it playfully teaches vocabulary. It's my go-to recommendation for kids that age. When I taught kids, they were obsessed with the Riordan books, and Bone is a classic for everyone.
|
|
#
?
Feb 26, 2016 02:42
|
|
|
Utter Amnesty posted:Any advice on specific entry points for Cussler? I've tried to pick up him up from time to time but couldn't get into him but it feels like the kind of books I would read. Kavalier and Clay deeply resonated with me, though, when it came out and I revisit it every few years. So I like the cut of your recommendation's gib.
|
|
#
?
Feb 26, 2016 02:50
|
|
|
anilEhilated posted:he sees all the evil in Corporate Interests In American Goverment as opposed to drat Terrorists He's right Utter Amnesty posted:
He's an airport function thriller writer, the whole drat point is that you can just read any book and it'll be the same
|
|
#
?
Feb 26, 2016 04:13
|
|
|
Eh, I guess it's just not for me then. Thanks, though.
|
|
#
?
Feb 26, 2016 06:53
|
|
|
This is probably going to be the stupidest question ever asked, but is there a book about the Illuminati that isn't complete conspiracy theory lunacy? Like something with at least some historical grounding. If you look on amazon everything is self-published crap or trying to ride the Dan Brown coattails.
|
|
#
?
Feb 29, 2016 20:36
|
|
|
Goons I come to you for another suggestion :3 I was in abookstore today and saw The Explorers Guild (http://www.amazon.com/Explorers-Guild-One-Passage-Shambhala/dp/1476727392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456779614&sr=8-1&keywords=explorers+guild) I looked on Amazon and it doesn't have much in the way of good reviews but i'm dieing ot read a book about exploration and such in this similiar vein. I feel like i'm misisng some obvious reccomendation and hoping you guys can point one out. Or, maybe you guys think Explorers Guild is good and I should read that  Thanks for help.
|
|
#
?
Feb 29, 2016 22:04
|
|
|
BigFactory posted:This is probably going to be the stupidest question ever asked, but is there a book about the Illuminati that isn't complete conspiracy theory lunacy? Like something with at least some historical grounding. If you look on amazon everything is self-published crap or trying to ride the Dan Brown coattails.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 00:01
|
|
|
anilEhilated posted:It's not exactly about the Illuminati but have you read Foucault's Pendulum? I have. I was thinking not a novel. I won't exactly say non fiction but you know what I mean.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 00:47
|
|
|
e: Too fast for me! Oh well.Umberto Eco posted:The author, Dan Brown, is a character from Foucault’s Pendulum! I invented him. He shares my characters’ fascinations—the world conspiracy of Rosicrucians, Masons, and Jesuits. The role of the Knights Templar. The hermetic secret. The principle that everything is connected. I suspect Dan Brown might not even exist.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 00:47
|
|
|
Is there any decent non-fiction book on Nazis in South America, ratlines, Mossad hunting them etc? I did some poking around and I see there's books by Simon Weisenthal, people bitching about Simon Weisenthal and some massive dry specific accounts of things like Peron government involvement.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 06:33
|
|
|
Tochiazuma posted:I really like Jonathan Rabb's work in Rosa and Shadows and Light, they remind me a lot of Martin Cruz Smith's style. Just want to say that this is EXACTLY the sort of thing I was after. I'm about half way through Rosa now and am really enjoying it. Definitely similar to Martin Cruz Smith's stuff. Great recommendation!
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 09:04
|
|
|
BigFactory posted:This is probably going to be the stupidest question ever asked, but is there a book about the Illuminati that isn't complete conspiracy theory lunacy? Like something with at least some historical grounding. If you look on amazon everything is self-published crap or trying to ride the Dan Brown coattails. There's this book I was checking out at the bookshop a while back which talks about how the idea of the Illuminati/freemason type secret societies affected culture and politics in the 18th(maybe a bit of the 19th as well?) century: http://www.amazon.com/Mythology-Secret-Societies-J-Roberts/dp/0684129043 Pocket Billiards posted:Is there any decent non-fiction book on Nazis in South America, ratlines, Mossad hunting them etc? there's quite a few old probably out of print ones about the Odessa organisation, Bormann surviving past his supposed date of death, etc, and there's probably some good info in there, although you should also probably take some of what they say with a grain of salt. e.g http://www.amazon.com/Martin-Bormann-Exile-Paul-Manning/dp/1495488144 or https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1357116.Aftermath The "massive dry specific accounts" are probably good, you'd expect books like that to be very good sources of info even if they're not every exciting to read.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 10:46
|
|
|
[quote="A human heart" post="456888372"] There's this book I was checking out at the bookshop a while back which talks about how the idea of the Illuminati/freemason type secret societies affected culture and politics in the 18th(maybe a bit of the 19th as well?) century: http://www.amazon.com/Mythology-Secret-Societies-J-Roberts/dp/0684129043 I'll take a peek, thanks.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 12:27
|
|
|
Has anyone read the book Penpal by Dathan Auerbach? I've read the free sample on kindle and it seems good. I'm worried the glowing reviews are because of some weird Reddit following, though.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 12:51
|
|
|
Blind Rasputin posted:Has anyone read the book Penpal by Dathan Auerbach? I've read the free sample on kindle and it seems good. I'm worried the glowing reviews are because of some weird Reddit following, though. I can't really say anything good about this book. It was pretty stupid. The author has no idea whatsoever how to write children. The kindergarteners in this book act like high schoolers--what 6-year-old has 'seen enough movies' to know how roman candles work? Also, I can't tell you how many times the author described conversations between characters rather than just writing the dialogue. It kind of reminds me about when Goons try to write 'Creepypasta' stuff, and you get those people in the thread who are scared of everything and think it's the most terrifying, incredibly written story of all time. At least it was short...
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 18:14
|
|
|
I'm looking to read Finnegans Wake, preferably on Kindle. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JLL2OK8 ? The other Kindle edition I saw (Penguin) had terrible reviews because it supposedly used the 1st edition of the text which was ripe with typos and such. What's the best way to read this novel?
|
|
#
?
Mar 2, 2016 02:06
|
|
|
GobiasIndustries posted:I'm looking to read Finnegans Wake, preferably on Kindle. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JLL2OK8 ? The other Kindle edition I saw (Penguin) had terrible reviews because it supposedly used the 1st edition of the text which was ripe with typos and such. What's the best way to read this novel? With a Cliff's Notes in one hand and a bottle of laudanum in the other.
|
|
#
?
Mar 2, 2016 03:50
|
|
|
I enjoyed Yiddish Policemen's Union, any other alternate history/alternate world stories like that one that are well written?
|
|
#
?
Mar 3, 2016 21:16
|
|
|
Ishamael posted:I enjoyed Yiddish Policemen's Union, any other alternate history/alternate world stories like that one that are well written? Fatherland by Robert Harris is well written alternate history, and its a detective story. Been ages since I read it so I don't remember much, but I remember liking it.
|
|
#
?
Mar 3, 2016 21:23
|
|
|
Ishamael posted:I enjoyed Yiddish Policemen's Union, any other alternate history/alternate world stories like that one that are well written?
|
|
#
?
Mar 3, 2016 21:35
|
|
|
Ishamael posted:I enjoyed Yiddish Policemen's Union, any other alternate history/alternate world stories like that one that are well written? SS-GB by Len Deighton, for some nazi occupied Britain.
|
|
#
?
Mar 3, 2016 21:53
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 12, 2024 09:49 |
|
|
GobiasIndustries posted:I'm looking to read Finnegans Wake, preferably on Kindle. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JLL2OK8 ? The other Kindle edition I saw (Penguin) had terrible reviews because it supposedly used the 1st edition of the text which was ripe with typos and such. What's the best way to read this novel? Don't read Finnegans Wake?
|
|
#
?
Mar 3, 2016 22:57
|
|