TBB Book Recommendation Superstation !!

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anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

I have bit of a... weird request. I read a lot of stuff but for personal reasons don't handle sex scenes very well; unless the rest of the book really make up for it they're a no-no. I don't really mind more complex stuff - my favorite book is Foucault's Pendulum but I'm having a hard time with contemporary literature due to the above - I've been mostly "reduced" to genre fiction on this account and while there's some really solid stuff in there (I love, for example, the Malazan Book of the Fallen I think I'm running out. I've, with different results, read through Gaiman, Martin ('s earlier stuff, ASoIaF bores the hell out of me), Reynolds (love him), Blindsight (loved it), Wolfe (love/hate relationship from book to book), Mi�ville (ditto)... Basically most of what's considered good in SF. Not averse to lighter stuff as long as it's intelligent - I enjoyed almost all of Discworld as well as Bridge of Birds and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, latter two thanks to this thread.

I'm looking for something thought-provoking that requires a bit of solving on the reader's part; given the above it's probably easier to go for genre fiction but I don't mind it being literary - the issue is with explicit sex that seems to be a hallmark of modern literature.

As a sort of a side-request, also looking for some good modern Lovecraftiana along the lines of That Which Should Not Be. It doesn't need to be serious, things similar to Stross' Laundry Chronicles are fine too.

It'd be also nice if there was a Kindle adition available.

# ¿ Aug 31, 2014 12:17

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# ¿ May 8, 2024 23:52

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

regulargonzalez posted:

The Name of the Rose, since you like Foucault's Pendulum.
The Count of Monte Cristo, for one of the most purely entertaining romps ever put to page. (And I suppose there's a bit of "solving" involved insofar as figuring out how the plan is going to be executed)
The Westing Game. YA book that is a really fun read with some mystery bits to solve that you'll have to be on your toes to figure out ahead of the book's reveal.

Probably should've mentioned that I've already read all of Eco's novels. I remember reading the Count of Monte Christo as a kid, let's see about a reread. The Westing game sounds pretty interesting, gonna give it a try; thanks!

# ¿ Aug 31, 2014 18:11

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

naptalan posted:

Have you looked into 'clean reads' forums and sites? They're usually run by religious folks (in case that's not your thing) but it could be a great way to look for books that are definitely free of sexual content. You'll probably have to dig through all the Mormon romance, but even googling for "science fiction clean reads" brings up a few good discussions:
http://www.sffworld.com/forums/showthread.php?31300-What-are-some-clean-science-fiction-books
http://bencrowder.net/blog/2012/03/clean-science-fiction-and-fantasy/

I really want to recommend The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zaf�n - gothic mystery set in Barcelona in the 1940s; there are a couple of reviews comparing it (favourably) to Foucault's Pendulum. But there are a couple of short sex scenes - they're not raunchy or perverted, but they might be more explicit than what you're looking for. And the theme of wanting to have sex/having sex/dealing with the consequences of sex kind of runs through the whole book.

On the less explicit side, I just finished The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi, after the guy who runs my local SF/F bookshop raved about it. It explores a lot of interesting and weird concepts like 'privacy contracts', where you explicitly decide beforehand how much personal information you want to share with someone, or how long they can keep the memory of your conversation. The main character is a thief trying to restore his lost memories and figure out why he got rid of them in the first place.

Hard scifi is often sex-free. The main character of Greg Egan's Diaspora is a genderless computer simulation; I'm pretty sure there's nothing even resembling sex in the book. It's very dense, but if you're into astrophysics, definitely check it out!

Thanks for those! I already read Shadow of the Wind and Angel's Game, both were pretty hard on me. Ordered Quantum Thief, that sounds interesting; I'm sadly not too much into hard SF unless it's extremely engaging.
I am, however, thankful for the religious lists recommendation, that's really something I should've tried earlier.

edit: What probably got lost was my other request - any good modern Lovecraftian books? Well, "good" may be overstating it given the source material - and by "modern" I pretty much mean "later than the man himself and his contemporaries".

anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 11:34 on Sep 1, 2014

# ¿ Sep 1, 2014 11:31

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

darth cookie posted:

Heeeelp.

I'm trying to wade the bog that is Urban Fantasy and not get my shoes filled with poo poo. So I'm hoping some goons will have a couple of ideas. Things I've read and liked:

Dresden Files
Alex Verus series
Matthew Swift series (I'm deliberately avoiding Magicals Anonymous)

other stuff I read and didn't mind:

Felix Castor series
Rivers of London series
Sandman Slim (some of it was ok)

Stuff I've tried but didn't like, or otherwise didn't appeal and haven't read;

Iron Druid series.
The Laundry Files
Greywalker

So is there anything left that doesn't suck or have I pumped that well dry? Time to nut up and get on with Stormlight Archive part 2?

Not sure if it's too obvious, but have you tried Neil Gaiman? He's usually considered one of the classics of the genre. Another choice would be China Mi�ville - sometimes gets carried away with big words and his cityscapes tend to be on the fantasy side, but he's a pretty great writer nonetheless. I'd suggest Kraken or City & City as starting points.
e: If you don't mind something a bit more alien and difficult, I can't recommend M. John Harrison's Viriconium enough. Best to try to find it in a collection that'd include all three novels and the short stories, because it's pretty fascinating to watch the themes evolve.

anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 13:12 on Sep 3, 2014

# ¿ Sep 3, 2014 13:08

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Draxamus posted:

Any good books about someone going undercover? Doesn't need to be a cop, just someone pretending to be something they're not. Only looking for fiction here, no true crime stuff.

I really liked The Likeness by Tana French. It's about a police officer trying to solve the murder of her body double, but the emphasis is on characterisation, not whodunit.

# ¿ Sep 15, 2014 12:12

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Rusty posted:

Is there anything like Solaris out there? I read another of his books, Eden, and it was good as well, but not quite Solaris good. Maybe the closest thing I have read to Solaris is probably Speaker for the Dead. The reason I think the two are alike is because of the way the stories mix the description and actions of the aliens with the human story and then brings them together. I have never been a huge sci-fi fan, but I could be if there were more books like Solaris.

This may be a bit of a stretch but try Embassytown by China Mi�ville. The man's got a bit of a controversial reputation for his prose but this is fairly different from his other books and it definitely fits with its human/alien interactions. It's also very interesting for his chosen branch of science to put in sci-fi.
A lot of people I know found it unreadable, I personally loved it, can't lose much by trying.

# ¿ Oct 24, 2014 13:34

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

My favorite comedy book is David Langford's The Leaky Establishment, but that may not be to everyone's tastes. It's rather... British.

# ¿ Nov 16, 2014 14:03

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

elbow posted:

I've read both of those and while they're fantastic books, they're not exactly what I'm looking for. I'd like to read something about a protagonist (or group) that travels to various alternate universes, not just one.

The Merchant Princes series by Charles Stross should be right up your alley.

# ¿ Nov 21, 2014 14:44

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

freebooter posted:

What's a good place to start with Graham Greene?

I'd suggest The Quiet American or Our Man In Havana, both are a good taste of Greene's ideas while being fairly easy to read.

anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 12:15 on Nov 25, 2014

# ¿ Nov 25, 2014 12:10

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Wouldn't really consider it dark and edgy but you can't go wrong with Stephenson's Snow Crash.

# ¿ Nov 26, 2014 11:48

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Foucault's Pendulum is also considerably easier to read than any of the mentioned, except possibly Infinite Jest.

# ¿ Nov 30, 2014 11:56

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Well, if he hasn't read it already, Asimov's Caves of Steel is pretty much a classic. In a similar vein, Bester's Demolished Man.

# ¿ Dec 19, 2014 13:14

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Theli posted:

Haven't read any, but I'll look into that. Any particular one you'd recommend starting with?

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy are generally considered the best, I believe. There's some continuity but you can really pick up any of them - I'd stay away from his more recent stuff, though; the quality varies a lot and occassionally drops into straight-up propaganda. The books that deal with the Cold War are all pretty good.

edit: Yeah, as the above says, they're not exactly happy books. If you want more relaxing less literary spy fiction, you can always try Frederic Forsyth; he's generally a good holiday read.

anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 10:24 on Dec 23, 2014

# ¿ Dec 23, 2014 10:21

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

BKPR posted:

Any good Japanese horror available on kindle? (In English of course)

Might be obvious and/or mainstream, but just about anything by Koji Suzuki?

# ¿ Dec 27, 2014 11:37

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson. It's not for everyone, though: if you don't find yourself hooked on the first two books, you probably don't need to bother reading on. In my opinion it's pretty drat great if you're looking for fantasy that actively challenges you to work theories on how the world works and then enjoys tearing them apart.
If you're looking for a less involved more relaxing read, Dresden Files are just about the chillest urban fantasy around.

# ¿ Dec 29, 2014 10:07

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Not sure whether it counts but as a complete couch potato I was always very fond of Richard Halliburton. The "almost fiction" bit definitely fits.

anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 10:31 on Jan 17, 2015

# ¿ Jan 17, 2015 10:29

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

There's some pretty great haunted spaceship stuff in the Revelation Space series by Alastair Reynolds. It's not all there is to it but they're really good books that definitely hit the creepy space vibe.

# ¿ Feb 11, 2015 21:34

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

It's positively amazing compared to its sequel. Reading books based on games you liked is a bad idea, folks.

# ¿ Feb 13, 2015 16:20

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Transistor Rhythm posted:

"Little, Big" by John Crowley.

This is a very good recommendation that I heartily second. Sounds exactly like what you're looking for and is a great book all around.

# ¿ Feb 15, 2015 17:07

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Probably on the level of the above suggestions but a book of this type I really liked was A Quiet Belief In Angels by R.J. Ellory. It's a murder mystery wrapped in a narrative of a young man growing up in a small rural American town in the forties and it gives a lot of care of describing the environment - to the point where the crime element becomes secondary to the setting.

# ¿ Feb 18, 2015 07:10

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Two contemporary crime authors I really like are Fred Vargas and Tana French. It's nowhere near the level of Pynchon or eco, but they're definitely a cut above airport fiction, Vargas for her (yup) whimsy characters, French for her powerful setting descriptions, and both are thoroughly enjoyable reads.

# ¿ Feb 23, 2015 16:06

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Might be a tad obvious, but have you tried In Cold Blood?

# ¿ Mar 4, 2015 12:14

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

You could theorethically always try The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo _{pleasedon'tstoneme}...

# ¿ Mar 5, 2015 16:06

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

You might want to look at the Daniel Faust series by Craig Schaefer. It looks kind of like a Dresden cash-in at the first glance but grows into a more distinct thing eventually. The protagonist is a fairly likable scoundrel who tends to solve his world-saving issues by outwitting the other side as opposed to straight-up fighting.

# ¿ Mar 18, 2015 07:30

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Pork Pie Hat posted:

I don't know if you play video games, so you may (or not) be familiar with the series, but the The Witcher books by Andrzej Sapkowski are supposed to be good.

They are really god low fantasy. If you like Joe Abercrombie's cynical black humor, you should love them.

# ¿ Mar 24, 2015 23:21

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

AMINAL posted:

I dig post apocalyptic, dark and depressing "hard" sci fi stuff. Mystery and lots of technobabble is a plus

Alastair Reynolds, Revelation Space and the sequels. Fairly easy on technobabble but does dark mysterious space really well.

# ¿ Mar 25, 2015 18:02

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

One of the strongest examples I've seen of what I believe you're referring to is in Mi�ville's Iron Council. Just keep in mind it's not the whole book - but there's a lot of what you seem to be looking for in there.

# ¿ Mar 27, 2015 12:15

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

esn2500 posted:

Could anyone provide a recommendation for a good introduction to medieval history? I am looking for something that isn't too textbook-like and acts as a nice starting point for the subject.

Probably not exactly what you're looking for, but The Name Of The Rose serves as a great probe into the problems and ways of thinking of that period.

# ¿ Mar 27, 2015 17:47

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

It's airport fiction at its finest but I did enjoy Garden of Beasts by Jeffrey Deaver.

# ¿ Mar 30, 2015 09:33

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

ulvir posted:

sophie's world is, no joke, considered a good starting point for someone completely new to philosophy, or so I've heard.

No joke, if you're literally starting from zero, you should really try this, YA or not. It's got a way of providing simple explanations for complicated ideas.

# ¿ Apr 8, 2015 11:46

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Warning: Sanderston will look, feel and read really stupid to someone just coming from Malazan. Not saying he's bad but be prepared for much, much simpler books.

# ¿ Apr 8, 2015 22:03

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

I'm looking for a serious/credible book on thought schools and practices of some of the many Christian-based churches in America, ideally focusing on the more conservative, fundamental, non-tolerant groups and views. Alternately - I'm basically trying to convince a friend that religious nutjobs don't live only in the Middle-East - anything on contemporary religious intolerance in the so-called civilized countries would be nice.

anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 14:34 on Apr 9, 2015

# ¿ Apr 9, 2015 14:25

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

tuyop posted:

The Constant Gardener is surprisingly good this way.

As long as you're aware it's pretty horrible in all other ways.

# ¿ Apr 27, 2015 05:49

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Not exactly what you're describing, but try checking out The Golden Bough. It isn't really focused on stories but it is a great probe into folklore and has a lot of info.

# ¿ May 2, 2015 19:26

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Yeah, I suggested it mostly because it's really the go-to source for anything folklore-related. Not something you'd read from start to end but if there's a bit that particularly interests you, there's bound to be something about it in there. Probably should have made that clearer.

I wasn't aware of the censorship issues, now I gotta look up what's missing from mine. Fairly sure what came out here has the sections on the translation of rituals to Christian holy days. On the other hand, it's just one, albeit massive, volume. Welp, here's something to do with free time.

anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 21:49 on May 2, 2015

# ¿ May 2, 2015 21:45

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Al Cu Ad Solte posted:

So I just recently finished the Old Kingdom Trilogy by Garth Nix, the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson, and both Stormlight Archives. I really dig stories along these lines, which, to be honest, are just variations on "an ancient evil awakens" vv But I'm kind of at a loss for more stories along the same lines, but with unique worlds instead of the standard medieval fantasy. Any recommendations? I'm also more fond of female protags, but either is fine.

I have tried to read The Wheel of Time but I couldn't get over the pacing, and I'm not buying 14 books.

Malazan Book of the Fallen. Provides more than a few twists on classic fantasy tropes too. Mind you, it's ten books, but more than worth it.

Anyway, thanks for the info on the Bough, now I'm really confused on what's actually sitting on my bookshelf. I'll have to re-read it over the holidays.

anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 08:48 on May 3, 2015

# ¿ May 3, 2015 08:46

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Have you read Gaiman's first collection, Smoke and Mirrors? I think it's better.
George R. (R. R.) R. Martin's short stories are surprisingly good, too. Way superior to his later stuff, in my opinion.

# ¿ May 10, 2015 19:56

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

It's aliens as opposed to time travel but how about Blindsight by Peter Watts? Really good book.
If you want for more standard first contact fare, there's always Contact by Carl Sagan. Or the Three-body Problem.

# ¿ May 23, 2015 10:10

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Food Guy posted:

I'm looking for some good horror books to read. I tend to prefer horror stories that deal with a supernatural entity, but I am open to horror books that are a little more groudned. For a frame of reference, I have read pretty much every Stephen King book and have tried to read Koontz on several occasions but I just can't get through his books.

Have you tried Thomas Ligotti? I'd suggest starting with his short stories, as his writing style is really specific, but he has fantastic ideas and evokes bleak terror like no one else.

# ¿ May 25, 2015 11:31

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# ¿ May 8, 2024 23:52

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Srice posted:

I have not and after looking them up it sounds like they're exactly the sort of thing I want. Cheers!

My favorite contemporary crime writer is Fred Vargas. She writes what is basically police procedurals, but with amazingly quirky characters and often supernatural-seeming mysteries (that do, however, always have a real - if not rational - reasoning behind them). I'd suggest giving her a try. There's a vague continuity, start either with The Chalk Circle Man or The Three Evangelists.

# ¿ May 25, 2015 21:29

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