CSPAM Book club for book matters and also reading!

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > C-SPAM > CSPAM Book club for book matters and also reading!

eonwe: Aug 11, 2008; Lipstick Apathy

I imagine a lot of what I've suggested people have read, but I think there are even really popular things that I haven't read, and maybe other people haven't necessarily read all these either.

My first suggestion is Antigone. Its not a particularly long affair, but its got a lot going for it. Its a Greek tragedy featuring the titular Antigone. Basically Antigone is the sister to two men who died fighting in opposite sides of a war. One brother is set to be honored for his service while the other is set to be shamed. This tragedy is about the sequence of events set into motion by the decision to honor one brother and shame the other.

Next - Handmaid's Tale

This is set sorta like in the near future in the U.S. Basically the Y'all Qaeda took over the U.S. government and women's roles are relegated to the kitchen, to the bedroom, etc.

Also - All Quiet on the Western Front

Basically this is a novel set in World War 1 from the perspective of some frontline German soldiers. Though I'm pretty sure 'ONE' by Metallica wasn't written based on this book, its got a lot of the same themes. Shits hosed yall.

Of Mice and Men

Do you like Mice or Men? Well, there is one really good dude in this book. There isn't a lot of focus on the mice, but he really loves petting rabbits. Book sad af.

# ¿ Apr 15, 2017 22:55

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# ¿ May 14, 2024 00:41

eonwe: Aug 11, 2008; Lipstick Apathy

Captain_Maclaine posted:

I suggest Drew Gilpin Faust's This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War because I'm a morbid historian and it's awesome.

Slightly more seriously, it's an engagingly written examination of how the Civil War changed forever America's relationship with death and dying, as well as attendant social and cultural issues like faith in a just afterlife and the importance of body recovery/burial, challenging the Victorian distinction of the "Good Death vs Bad Death." It's a bit shy of 300 pages but isn't a difficult read at all (though given the subject material it does get a bit heavy at times) and all you bastards should go read it.

that sounds p sweet. i may just...read that now??? i assume i can find it on amazon

Also neat! I didn't look it up, but I just remembered thinking at the time 'ONE' was telling an awfully specific story and had to be based on something. I completely forgot about Johnny Got His Gun

# ¿ Apr 15, 2017 23:01

eonwe: Aug 11, 2008; Lipstick Apathy

Oh! Two more.

Devil in the White City

This is a sort of combination novel. It basically has two stories set in the same time and are separate but connected. Its set during before and during the 1893 World's Fair. One story is the creation, challenges, and successes of the 1893 World's Fair. Its really kind of a spectacle I wouldn't have ever expected happened in 1893. The other is basically a murder / thriller type of story. Its all based on actual events.

And - The Jungle

You know how we're kind of leaning away from protecting the environment, food standards, etc nowadays since they stifle business? Well, a lot of those modern regulations in America sort of find their roots in The Jungle. People read this book and were less pissed off about all the terrible things that happened to the poor and were instead really pissed off about what they may be eating. Featuring blue milk, men getting eaten alive by rats, companies treating people than dirt, lots of deeply unfair things.

# ¿ Apr 15, 2017 23:16

eonwe: Aug 11, 2008; Lipstick Apathy

Since Candide is obviously free, I'm going to start on it now

# ¿ Apr 16, 2017 01:14

eonwe: Aug 11, 2008; Lipstick Apathy

baw posted:

hasn't everyone already read Candide

I feel like everyone has some gaps in their reading, I certainly do. And even still, things are good on multiple readings.

# ¿ Apr 16, 2017 01:19

eonwe: Aug 11, 2008; Lipstick Apathy

I didn't really suggest it or anything, but I'm also reading this. Its cute

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/157993.The_Little_Prince - The Little Prince

# ¿ Apr 16, 2017 01:34

eonwe: Aug 11, 2008; Lipstick Apathy

I'm reading Candide (slowly). Pretty funny so far. Funnier than I expected actually

# ¿ Apr 17, 2017 17:01

eonwe: Aug 11, 2008; Lipstick Apathy

mormonpartyboat posted:

its a pretty interesting book about some people who drown and other people who do not

kinda a generational tale about marstal, a town in denmark, that goes from the first schleswig war in the mid 1800s to the end of ww2

by the same author, so its just as well written, but it's about william dodd, a kinda frumpy rural dork who becomes the ambassador to germany from 1933 to 1937 and witnesses the rise of the nazi party

I've meant to read his other book. Also 'We The Drowned' looks really interesting too. Dang, good suggestions.

# ¿ Apr 17, 2017 17:04

eonwe: Aug 11, 2008; Lipstick Apathy

Epic High Five posted:

So I did a test of some conversation heavy stuff - Asimov's Robots and Empire - and I read about a page a minute, which I dunno I guess is good according to this graph the page showed me. I have a trillion books I want to read though so I've been trying to increase my reading speed.

There's not really any point to this, I'm just trying to break myself of the habit of subvocalizing and it's been really annoyingly hard so far and I wanted to complain

Its funny, I assumed this would be 90% Scifi, so I purposely didn't really recommend any, and there hasn't been a whole ton of it recommended period.

# ¿ Apr 17, 2017 17:19

eonwe: Aug 11, 2008; Lipstick Apathy

that sounds really fuckin interesting

# ¿ Apr 17, 2017 23:41

eonwe: Aug 11, 2008; Lipstick Apathy

cool

# ¿ Apr 19, 2017 05:30

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# ¿ May 14, 2024 00:41

eonwe: Aug 11, 2008; Lipstick Apathy

Baloogan posted:

anyone uh started it?

# ¿ Apr 22, 2017 16:51

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > C-SPAM > CSPAM Book club for book matters and also reading!