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Thank you guys, this has helped a lot. I am leaning towards the Bradbury after reading a few excerpts. When I say that he has trouble reading I mean he has literal mental disabilities and has trouble with words more than about 3 syllables large. Bradbury's stories are very short and seem to evoke some pretty powerful imagery so I think that will work great for now. I still appreciate your recommendation! If he picks up on it I'll be back here picking through these posts  VVVVVVVVV wigglin fucked around with this message at 06:56 on Feb 14, 2011 |
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Feb 14, 2011 06:28
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Pete Zah posted:I'm looking to gift a book to my teenage brother who has never read a book more complex than something like Goosebumps. He was recently sentenced to jail time and has asked me to find him something he could get interested in considering how much time he has on his hands now. I couldn't get enough Isaac Asimov as a young teen. His writing was lucid, and he always displayed optimism about science and technology. The place to start would be I, Robot, which is a short story collection. From there you could go on to The Caves of Steel or The Complete Robot. edit: Bradbury is fun too. Dazzling Double V fucked around with this message at 06:39 on Feb 14, 2011 |
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Feb 14, 2011 06:34
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I'm looking for books that are fairly fast, funny, entertaining reads, but that are still really well-written. I just finished The Man Who Was Thursday and totally dug it, finished it in two days. I also recently enjoyed a collection of Roald Dahl short stories, and I'd probably be reading a David Sedaris book right now if I hadn't already read them all. I'd rather avoid sci-fi and fantasy, because I typically read so much of it and I want to branch out. Any ideas?
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Feb 14, 2011 18:20
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showbiz_liz posted:I'm looking for books that are fairly fast, funny, entertaining reads, but that are still really well-written. I just finished The Man Who Was Thursday and totally dug it, finished it in two days. I also recently enjoyed a collection of Roald Dahl short stories, and I'd probably be reading a David Sedaris book right now if I hadn't already read them all. I'd rather avoid sci-fi and fantasy, because I typically read so much of it and I want to branch out. Any ideas? Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. It's a victorian-era travelogue, "some rambling notes from an idle excursion," very funny, very british, very sharp, very victorian. You could also try the Jeeves books by Wodehouse. It opens like this: quote:We were all feeling seedy, and we were getting quite nervous about it. Harris said he felt such extraordinary fits of giddiness come over him at times, that he hardly knew what he was doing; and then George said that HE had fits of giddiness too, and hardly knew what HE was doing. With me, it was my liver that was out of order. I knew it was my liver that was out of order, because I had just been reading a patent liver-pill circular, in which were detailed the various symptoms by which a man could tell when his liver was out of order. I had them all. If you like Chesterton, read his Father Brown mysteries. When I get sick of fantasy & sci-fi I switch over to mysteries to clear my head, and the Father Brown books are fairly clever, like all of Chesterton. Hieronymous Alloy fucked around with this message at 00:42 on Feb 15, 2011 |
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Feb 14, 2011 20:41
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I'm looking for some horror or thriller books that arent "oooh theres a ghost" or "a masked man is stabbing us!" type stories. I'm leaning more toward Lovecraftian type stories that explore what is unknown or madness and creating horror out of that. Thomas Ligotti is close, but I've read all his stories, House of Leaves was excellent although I wish it was just Navidsons explorations instead of the writings of a schitzophrenic. and that book requires very in depth studying to unlock its whole story, which I do not want to do.
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Feb 14, 2011 21:37
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El Asso posted:I'm looking for some horror or thriller books that arent "oooh theres a ghost" or "a masked man is stabbing us!" type stories. I'm leaning more toward Lovecraftian type stories that explore what is unknown or madness and creating horror out of that. Check out Simon Strantzas or Richard Gavin, you can get some of their stuff from Dark Regions Press. If you're willing to throw more money at it, PS Publishing has a collection called Black Wings that is excellent.
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Feb 14, 2011 21:52
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I just finished reading "Amusing Ourselves to Death" by Neil Postman. I really enjoyed the serious look at how we consume media as a population. While I feel like the book is still pretty relevant, it was published in 1985. I would like to find a book that provides a similar analysis but also takes into account the changes that the Internet as a medium have brought about. I've found a few that seem to fit the bill, in particular "Media Unlimited" by Todd Gitlin, but I was wondering if anyone here had any recommendations for me.
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Feb 15, 2011 05:57
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I was wondering if anyone had any recommendation on a good informative book on the Kray Brothers?
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Feb 15, 2011 06:27
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I really dig creative non-fiction like Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto and Consider the Lobster, or anything else by D.F.W. or Klosterman. Can you guys recommend anything similar or of this calibre?
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Feb 15, 2011 22:31
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oceanside posted:I really dig creative non-fiction like Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto and Consider the Lobster, or anything else by D.F.W. or Klosterman. David Sedaris might be up your alley. Start with Me Talk Pretty One Day.
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Feb 15, 2011 22:49
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oceanside posted:I really dig creative non-fiction like Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto and Consider the Lobster, or anything else by D.F.W. or Klosterman. Let's Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste by Carl Wilson is basically a DFW approach to a Klosterman pop-culture topic. Wilson, to learn about taste, tries to get himself to like Celine Dion and figure out why she has a fanbase. It's both hilarious, absolutely fascinating, and just about the perfect length for the topic. You can find the flip-side - a Klosterman obsessed-and-passionate tone on more DFW-esque topics - in Critical Amnesia by Clive James, seveal dozen mini-essays on various characters from the last century. It's both intensely personal to James, but also very passionate and unafraid to criticize where he thinks they've fallen short. You get a really strong sense that James loves books and loves art and loves loving most of all.
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Feb 15, 2011 23:00
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AARP LARPer fucked around with this message at 01:11 on Jan 22, 2016 |
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Feb 15, 2011 23:13
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I just finished King Leopold's Ghost and I couldn't put it down. Does anyone have any reccomendations of anything similar?
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Feb 16, 2011 02:23
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oceanside posted:I really dig creative non-fiction like Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto and Consider the Lobster, or anything else by D.F.W. or Klosterman. Try The New Kings of Nonfiction. It's a collection of essays selected by Ira Glass and I'm pretty sure it's got a story by Chuck K and DFW. It's got my favorite essay by Malcom Gladwell, "Shapinsky's Karma".
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Feb 16, 2011 02:52
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oceanside posted:I really dig creative non-fiction like Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto and Consider the Lobster, or anything else by D.F.W. or Klosterman. Sex, Drugs, Einstein and Elves and The Beginner's Guide to Immortality both by Clifford Pickover are both fairly interesting reads, if you're into that sort of thing.
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Feb 16, 2011 05:23
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What are some good horror short story collections? I'm mostly into supernatural/paranormal horror. I'd prefer stuff available in the Kindle store. Also can anyone recommend any authors similar to Don DeLillo? White Noise is my favorite book of his, if it matters.
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Feb 16, 2011 18:57
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Traxis posted:What are some good horror short story collections? I'm mostly into supernatural/paranormal horror. I'd prefer stuff available in the Kindle store. This, this, and this should get you started.
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Feb 16, 2011 19:10
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showbiz_liz posted:I'm looking for books that are fairly fast, funny, entertaining reads, but that are still really well-written. I just finished The Man Who Was Thursday and totally dug it, finished it in two days. I also recently enjoyed a collection of Roald Dahl short stories, and I'd probably be reading a David Sedaris book right now if I hadn't already read them all. I'd rather avoid sci-fi and fantasy, because I typically read so much of it and I want to branch out. Any ideas?
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Feb 17, 2011 07:08
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I really like well-done period films, and I think I've realized that it's because I like seeing all the minute details of life from other time periods. Can anyone recommend any historical fiction books that do this? I mean craft a really visceral world, I've tried picking up a few historical fiction books recently and they had these really bothersome inaccuracies, or they just didn't feel like they were authentic. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, like something about the character voices were off or the author just didn't do enough research about the time period. So if there are any books you could name that really nail whatever time period they're taking place in, down to the clothing, food, environment, interactions, and ways of thinking, I'd love to hear them. Oh yeah, and a good plot would be a bonus.
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Feb 17, 2011 08:02
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Double Plus Good posted:I really like well-done period films, and I think I've realized that it's because I like seeing all the minute details of life from other time periods. Can anyone recommend any historical fiction books that do this? I mean craft a really visceral world, I've tried picking up a few historical fiction books recently and they had these really bothersome inaccuracies, or they just didn't feel like they were authentic. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, like something about the character voices were off or the author just didn't do enough research about the time period. So if there are any books you could name that really nail whatever time period they're taking place in, down to the clothing, food, environment, interactions, and ways of thinking, I'd love to hear them. Oh yeah, and a good plot would be a bonus. I Claudius - The Judio-Claudian Dynasty. Augustus to Claudius
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Feb 17, 2011 08:10
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I'm watching Coco Avant Chanel, a 2009 french movie about the life of Gabrielle Chanel. Could someone recommend me which biography to read about her? I'd love to try reading again (I have trouble reading more than a few pages at once), and she seems to have lead an incredible life.
SynthesizerKaiser fucked around with this message at 10:12 on Feb 17, 2011 |
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Feb 17, 2011 09:54
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Help me get back into reading! I've noticed that since I've gotten older and older I have a hard time giving a poo poo about anything happening in fiction. I used to read fantasy and science fiction exclusively, but find now that I just can't muster much enthusiasm for escapist fiction as much as I used to. Recommend me a book that has a great hook and is such a page turner that I won't be able to put it down. Any genre is okay but I wouldn't mind re-opening my love for fantasy and science fiction. Although, if it is one of those I'd prefer it if the book has nothing whatsoever that could be in a video game. I'm really sick of orcs and goblins and elves and swords and wizards. Let me reiterate: it has to be a page turner that's impossible to put down or I will get bored by the third chapter. I'm open to anything, but I want to fall in love with a character. I want a book that I carry with me after I've finished it. I want a book that must be read even though I have a million other adult and juvenile distractions vying for my attention. I want to be hooked by a story again.
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Feb 17, 2011 12:18
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Turtle before the Storm posted:Help me get back into reading! I was in a similar position to you last weekend. I would read, but almost exclusively non-fiction, and almost always with the intention of getting some usable knowledge from the experience. Then last Saturday I was recovering from a hang-over, and I couldn't stomach a glowing computer screen. I stumbled to my girlfriend's bookshelf and picked the first book that looked somewhat interesting, I had little intention of reading more than the first few pages, and plucked out The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. I read it until I fell asleep that night, and then finished it in the morning still in bed. It's not a perfect book by any means, but I found that instead of reading with my attention divided between the story and the page numbers, chapter lengths, and trying not to let my mind wander off, I was instead completely immersed in the story and characters. Something I haven't done for a long long time, and it reminded me of all the great books I'd read as a kid. I've been on a massive reading binge all week because of it. I feel like Ebeneezer Scrooge on Christmas morning, if Scrooge had taken the entire genre of fiction for granted instead just friends, family, and the poor. It doesn't have to be Neil Gaiman, but I would recommend something in the young adult category. Especially if, like me, your attention span is completely shot to poo poo by years of computer games and internet message boards where even the longest posts would barely fill a page.
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Feb 17, 2011 13:29
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I recently read some books in Eric Flint's 1632 series. While the premise was insanely interesting, the actual books were, for the lack of a better word, poo poo. The writing was terrible, the plots were ridiculous, the characters were incredibly one dimensional and the author's own biases shone pretty clearly from them. The first book was tolerable, but the author actually seemed to get worse as time went on. I was sad that such a good idea was wasted on that. So, are there any (good) books similar to this? Where somebody or a group goes back in time, and old world meets new world thinking and technology? It's a really fascinating concept.
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Feb 17, 2011 17:08
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Turtle before the Storm posted:Help me get back into reading! That's pretty vague! My best idea is Starfish by Peter Watts.
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Feb 18, 2011 06:44
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Theomanic posted:That's pretty vague! My best idea is Starfish by Peter Watts. I agree. I'm open to anything as long as it's hard to put down.
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Feb 18, 2011 11:37
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Can anyone recommend a book or two about the ongoing drug wars in Mexico? That an entire country could be at the mercy of drug cartels and gangs is very interesting (and depressing) to me, and I want to learn more about the subject. Edit: Also, can anyone recommend a book about the relevancy of unions in the modern world? The reason I'm asking is that I'm currently in support of the protests in Madison, WI, (I know many teachers and nurses who would be negatively affected) but I've heard some convincing arguments from the other side. I've found in the past few days that unions are a VERY divisive issue and I want to know a bit more of what I'm talking about when I find myself in arguments about them. I'm not looking for a pro-union book; if anything I'd like a point/counterpoint or "objective" perspective. Monocular fucked around with this message at 15:10 on Feb 19, 2011 |
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Feb 19, 2011 15:04
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Monocular posted:Edit: Also, can anyone recommend a book about the relevancy of unions in the modern world? The reason I'm asking is that I'm currently in support of the protests in Madison, WI, (I know many teachers and nurses who would be negatively affected) but I've heard some convincing arguments from the other side. I've found in the past few days that unions are a VERY divisive issue and I want to know a bit more of what I'm talking about when I find myself in arguments about them. I'm not looking for a pro-union book; if anything I'd like a point/counterpoint or "objective" perspective. Michael Yates's Why Unions Matter is a short book making the argument for the continued relevance of unions. It is not a balanced view, obviously, but that doesn't mean it is not objective. I found the arguments quite convincing.
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Feb 19, 2011 22:17
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Turtle before the Storm posted:Help me get back into reading! I was in a similar situation lately, having fallen out of the habit of reading regularly since starting college. I'm going to recommend about anything by Kurt Vonnegut; his books are accessible and engaging, but have real depth. Breakfast of Champions is a good place to start with him. As for myself, I just finished reading Lolita by Nabokov, and I really enjoyed his writing. I'll probably read more of his work soon, but can anyone suggest some authors with similar styles?
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Feb 21, 2011 05:22
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I'm looking for a translation of the Bhagavad Gita. Not a literal word by word but something in the modern english that doesn't fall into the poetic terms. I know it's an epic poem but I was looking through translations today and couldn't find one that suited me.
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Feb 21, 2011 20:23
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I know this has probably been asked before (but I don't think too recently?), but does anyone have any recommendations for basic overviews of recent Middle Eastern/North African history and politics? I've been trying to follow the protests/revolutions as closely as possible, but it's difficult since I have no background knowledge whatsoever of the entire region. I want to pick up Inside Egypt and in the meantime I've got a couple books on Al-Jazeera, but that's it. Even super broad, basic overviews are fine. Seriously, I know nothing and I want to fix that.
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Feb 21, 2011 23:37
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Radio! posted:I know this has probably been asked before (but I don't think too recently?), but does anyone have any recommendations for basic overviews of recent Middle Eastern/North African history and politics? I've been trying to follow the protests/revolutions as closely as possible, but it's difficult since I have no background knowledge whatsoever of the entire region. Punished Chuck fucked around with this message at 01:30 on Feb 22, 2011 |
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Feb 22, 2011 01:28
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I recently finished reading The God Delusion, and I enjoyed it a lot. The parts I enjoyed the most were when passages from the Bible were quoted and then ripped to shreds for being ridiculous and unbelievable, and the examples of God being a generally unpleasant dude. I know in the back of the book there are some book recommendations, but there is a lot of them and I'm not sure which are what I want. Has anyone read "Ken's Guide to the Bible" or are there any other suggestions? Thanks!
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Feb 23, 2011 00:33
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Can anyone recommend me some good sci fi novels about colonization? Something along the lines of Moving Mars by Greg Bear, or the TV series Outcasts. I've read the Red/Green/Blue Mars trilogy, but I didn't really care for it (mostly I found the human drama element of the story to be quite juvenile).
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Feb 23, 2011 03:24
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I've been looking through the thread, but I have to admit, I don't ready many books. In fact the only books I've read are such creative picks as Fight Club and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I didn't like them much either. I've tried a few obscure things as well as popular stuff, but it always feels like something I should do, more than something I enjoy doing, so I usually stop. This basically means, reading through the thread, that I have no clue what people are referring or comparing to, so up front; I'm sorry if I skipped something that would suit the context. So what I'm looking for... There's one particular way of writing, that I actually enjoy a lot, and can invoke something unique I don't get from movies or other media. It's sort of like a diary or recalled timeframe. It's hard for me to phrase properly, so I'll just throw this quote in, to specify what I mean. I'm sorry I don't know who the poster is and can, therefore, not give him due credit. quote:12:05 PM eastern standard time, the Muslims have vanished. Check for yourself if you don't believe me. Where have they gone to? It doesn't have to be thoughtful or symbolic in nature, I also enjoy more comedic material conveyed like such: (From the thread "[blog] falling down the worlds largest staircase") Yachting For Cups posted:day one: Yachting For Cups posted:i'm using this time to think about the mistakes ive made in my life. mistakes such as falling down the world's largest staircase. I don't know if there's anything written like this, or and audience for it. I suppose it might be hard to convey enough like this to fill a book, but what do I know. Thanks for any suggestions. Edit: Great suggestions so far! Gun Seller, Raw Shark Texts, Survivor and Sum, have all caught my attention, and a friend has Iain's "Use Of Weapons" (I think it was called) so I'll see where I stand on that. You're probably right about the immediacy, I like quick and to the point structures, probably because it's so different from how I write. House of Leaves might be interesting, but looking around it looks like the format in some places is just going to piss me off instead. Don't worry about the book being long though, I read a lot, but it's university related sociological texts (Also long and confusing sentences  ).
Free Weedlord fucked around with this message at 22:18 on Feb 23, 2011 |
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Feb 23, 2011 17:03
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I don't know about that first one (seriously  was that) but your second example reminded me a lot of Hugh Laurie's book The Gun Seller, which is a pretty funny parody of spy novels. I'm not a huge humor-book fan, but I thought Gun Seller was hilarious.
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Feb 23, 2011 17:17
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Free Weedlord posted:I've been looking through the thread, but I have to admit, I don't ready many books. In fact the only books I've read are such creative picks as Fight Club and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I didn't like them much either. I've tried a few obscure things as well as popular stuff, but it always feels like something I should do, more than something I enjoy doing, so I usually stop. This basically means, reading through the thread, that I have no clue what people are referring or comparing to, so up front; I'm sorry if I skipped something that would suit the context. You might like House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, though it's a long read so it might be too much if you're not a big reader. The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall has that sense of immediacy you seem to like. If you liked Fight Club, perhaps try Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk. I also think you might like Bret Easton Ellis and Iain Banks.
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Feb 23, 2011 17:45
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Free Weedlord posted:
the story about falling down the stairs reminded me of David Eagleman's Sum: Forty Tales From the Afterlives
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Feb 23, 2011 20:11
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Radio!, I would recommend A Brief History of The Middle East. From what I read before picking it up, it's quite balanced, and so far it's lived up to that (as well as I can judge.. not knowing a great deal about Mideast history)
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Feb 24, 2011 01:53
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So I've been guilty of not reading in years and I used to be a huge reader in middle/high school and it's kind of been depressing me lately so I've decided I'm going to start reading some H.P. Lovecraft (among one or two other things) as I've never touched it and I feel there is something wrong with me for having not, can anyone recommend a good starting point/book?
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Feb 24, 2011 02:01
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