930 Forums
=> GENERAL DISCUSSION => Topic started by: HoyaSaxa03 on July 31, 2008, 05:09:00 pm
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hey all, hoping you could help out with some book recommendations...
non-fiction: i'm looking for stuff that doesn't have anything to do with current events/politics ... i love history, but am open to really anything that's well-written and interesting (something in the vein of "salt" or "guns germs and steel" would be cool) ... i'm reading "the death and life of great american cities" right now and loving it
fiction: suggestions for graphic novels would be great, reading "preacher" right now on a friend's recommendation and it's awesome
thanks!
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middlesex by jeffrey eugenides. it's fiction but such an awesome book. one of my favs...also, don't be fooled by the oprah's book club recc. i hate chick lit and this book is such a winner. so well-written and such an interesting story.
graphic novels: if you like history, i'd suggest maus by art spiegalman (the complete was just released, it was previously maus I and II)
y: the last man by bryan k. vaughan. this 50 issue comic just wrapped up earlier this year and is one of the best fucking stories i've read in a looooong time. seriously. every male creature on the face of the earth has been killed save yorick and his pet monkey ampersand...he's trying to get to the girlfriend who was studying in austrailia at the time of the 'plague' and at the same time is the last hope for humanity. lots of awesomeness ensues.
the scott pilgrim series by bryan lee o'malley. its funny, easy to read and a lot of fun, especially if you''re in your mid to late 20s. lots and lots of pop culture refs - you know, if you're into that sort of thing.
neil gaiman's sandman series is also worth a read. good times, graphic shit and well-written myths.
and finally, if i need to tell you to read watchmen...it would come accompanied by a smack to the back of the head.
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does anyone use audible.com?
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I recommend you stop reading glorified comic books.
I second the Middlesex nod. Others I have enjoyed recently are Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson and The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid.
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Only Revolutions (Danielewski) gets unfairly panned because its not as good as House Of Leaves, but its a really great read if you want to invest the time and get over the book's steep learning curve.
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Also:
Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
I recommend you stop reading glorified comic books.
This.
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Originally posted by HoyaSaxa03:
does anyone use audible.com?
First off...congrats.
Now. I use Audible. What do you need to know?
I obviously can't recommend any book because I only read non-fiction and you want nothing about current events.
Smackette is reading "A Winter in Kandahar" and then she will be reading "Snow" for her book club. That's about all I can offer.
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<img src="http://ak.buy.com/db_assets/large_images/058/33928058.jpg" alt=" - " />
I just finished this and it was fascinating. Kind of a mix of U.S. history and a murder mystery. Very well-written, interesting as hell, and provides a solid perspective on what life was like in the 1890s.
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Geek Love
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Originally posted by miss pretentious:
and finally, if i need to tell you to read watchmen...it would come accompanied by a smack to the back of the head.
just saw the trailer for the movie (out on 3.06.09!) in imax... looked amazing.
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Originally posted by HoyaSaxa03:
does anyone use audible.com?
I use audible and love it, especially when I had a long commute.
I liked this in terms of non-fiction:
:D :
The Road - Cormac McCarthy
Any of Paul Auster's books (New York Trilogy, Brooklyn Follies, Oracle Night, and really any)
The Wind Up Bird Chronicle
Lamb or Fluke by Christopher Moore (more funny than serious unlike the others mentioned)
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for non-fiction, i'd recommend stuff like "the united states of arugula" by david kamp, any of the ruhlman books on the american chef and cookery and "heat" by bill buford.
i also enjoyed the biography of alexander hamilton by ron chernow.
for fiction- i've recently enjoyed "american pastoral" and "the human stain" by philip roth. if you like cormac mccarthy, i'd second "the road" and also "blood meridian."
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Originally posted by Venerable Bede:
any of the ruhlman books on the american chef and cookery
i second these
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George Pelecanos has a new book out, The Turnaround. I haven't read it yet, but I like all his others and have seen a couple of positive reviews. I remember the 1972 incident he bases the plot on since I lived in the Ken-Gar area at the time and it really freaked my parents out.
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kosmette recommends you checkout librarything.com for getting book recommendations and then start using bookmooch.com to trade books.
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the new david sedaris (in addition to any old david sedaris.) is laugh out loud hilarious.
in addition to middlesex, eugenides's first novel, the virgin suicides, is fantastic.
just read neil postman's "amusing ourselves to death," it was very, very interesting.
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Originally posted by vansmack:
Originally posted by HoyaSaxa03:
does anyone use audible.com?
First off...congrats.
Now. I use Audible. What do you need to know?
I obviously can't recommend any book because I only read non-fiction and you want nothing about current events.
Smackette is reading "A Winter in Kandahar" and then she will be reading "Snow" for her book club. That's about all I can offer. [/b]
tip o' the hat, feels good to be done
do you feel like you get your money's worth with audible? seems like a pretty good service
i basically have only read non-fiction for the last few years (pretty sad for an english major), but i'm trying to read more history and keep my current events stuff to the internet and magazines
i love quirky history stuff like Changes in the Land (http://www.amazon.com/Changes-Land-Revised-Indians-Colonists/dp/0809016346/ref=wl_it_dp?ie=UTF8&coliid=I384MGP0JOZWHQ&colid=3MHIMM54MU6KQ) ... looking for more of that
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Originally posted by kosmo:
kosmette recommends you checkout librarything.com for getting book recommendations
this looks cool, thanks
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Originally posted by Venerable Bede:
for non-fiction, i'd recommend stuff like "the united states of arugula" by david kamp
this looks awesome
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Originally posted by HoyaSaxa03:
do you feel like you get your money's worth with audible? seems like a pretty good service
Totally. Especially when it's split in the household between the two of us. Like Pollard, we use it for long commutes when we can agree on a book, otherwise, we just download a book a month. They let you carry up to 6 credits over month to month (ahem, eMusic, a subscription service lets you carry over you credits, a novel concept), but if you can't find a new book in 6 months...well, then a book service just isn't for you.
Their selection is solid and you don't have to be a current subscriber to listen to your books. Once you buy them, they are yours to keep. We pay around $10 a book - even for new releases - hard to beat that.
They are DRM, so have a strategy for listening devices. We use the iTunes/iPod model.
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Originally posted by HoyaSaxa03:
Originally posted by Venerable Bede:
for non-fiction, i'd recommend stuff like "the united states of arugula" by david kamp
this looks awesome [/b]
You're both so gay and you don't even like boys.
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if you can read it from an "observer" point of view and not take it too seriously, anything by edward alexander crowely. his writings "take you there." book of the law is the best example of this. where 'there' is, i'm not smart enough to translate yet, but i know it does alter your subconscious dream state and can lead to inner fights of depression, rage against classes, and a desire to think you are better than others. remember, just read them for the fun of it.
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Second on American Pastoral. It's a great story. Do you like golf and humor? If so, check out Dan Jenkins The Money-Whipped Steer-Job Three-Jack Give-Up Artist. It's about an average pro on the tour and his life off the course (two ex wifes and a rocky relationship with his girlfriend).
I wish I could offer something in the graphic novel genre but I haven't looked a a comic book since GI Joe in like 1985.
Originally posted by Venerable Bede:
for fiction- i've recently enjoyed "american pastoral"
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I'm on a Chuck Pahlniuk binge right now. I've read like 4 or 5 of his books and I think he's amazing. My favorite so far is Choke. I finished Snuff not too long ago and I think I'm gonna read Lullaby or Survivor next.
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Originally posted by DeathFromAbove1979:
I'm on a Chuck Pahlniuk binge right now. I've read like 4 or 5 of his books and I think he's amazing. My favorite so far is Choke. I finished Snuff not too long ago and I think I'm gonna read Lullaby or Survivor next.
lullaby is great. snuff isn't worth the paper it's printed on.
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None of us know anything and television can only entertain.
Originally posted by nmsles:
just read neil postman's "amusing ourselves to death," it was very, very interesting.
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Read Survivor first, I think you get more enjoyment from it than Lullaby. I started Lullaby and put it down about 35 pages into it. Avoid Diary as well.
Originally posted by DeathFromAbove1979:
I think I'm gonna read Lullaby or Survivor next.
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or these:
dictionary of theories - jennifer bothamley
(fm 21 - 76) us army survival manual
the terror - dan simmons
small town restaurants in virginia - joanne anderson
people of the lie - m. scott peck, m.d.
angels a-z - matthew bunson
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Check out Mark Trail or Rex Morgan, MD.
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The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan was very good.
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Originally posted by renton007:
Read Survivor first, I think you get more enjoyment from it than Lullaby. I started Lullaby and put it down about 35 pages into it. Avoid Diary as well.
I diagree that survivor is better than lullaby, but both Diary and Snuff are useless.
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Originally posted by terry:
The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan was very good.
this looks right up my alley, thanks
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Anything by David Sedaris for fiction is great. If you like Mystery, you have to read Nelson Demille (The General's Daughter) - his writing is just bloody brilliant.
of course, i'm a huge poetry freak, so if you haven't ever read anything by Bukowski, Kerouac, or Ginsberg, just do it. Even if you don't like it. It'll make you think.
as for non fiction, everyone should check out Patrick K. O'Donnell. I had the pleasure of meeting him when I was working at Borders, and he's as nice of a guy in person as his writing would suppose.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url?_encoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Patrick%20K.%20O%27Donnell (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url?_encoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Patrick%20K.%20O%27Donnell)
I'd personally suggest "We Were One" and "Operations Spies..".
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Devil in the White City is great. Other recommendations for non-fiction (Forgive me if I can't remember all the author's names)
King Leopold's Ghost - crazy story
Fast Food Nation and Black Market - I enjoyed both of these. Black Market isn't as good, but the chapter on porn is hilarious.
A Short History of Almost Everything - Bill Bryson
Encounters with the Archdruid - John McPhee (does get a little political about environmentalism, but is all in context of the discussion between the men on the hikes)
Desert Solitare - Edward Abbey (about his time at Arches National Park)
The Secret Life of Lobsters - interesting read.
Rats - About a guy who followed a colony of rats for 10 years in NYC. Interesting, if you can stomach it.
Fiction:
I have been enjoying the Scott Pilgrim series, so I'll second that.
I really like the Fables series.
Also a big X-Men and Watchmen fan.
I know you didn't say anything about novels, but I've just recently read these and found them to be enjoyable:
The History of Love (my husband says this is a "chick" book, but it's extremely well written. The Author's husband wrote Everything is Illuminated)
The Secret History - kind of on the thriller aspect of books, but a good read
Breakfast of Champions - for some reason, it's taken me 30 years to get around to reading Vonnegut. I'm almost finished and love this book.
DON'T recommend - any of those stupid ass vampire books by Stephanie Meyer. I found the first one to be completely infantile and horrible.
Joe College by Tom Perotta.
Anyone else here on Goodreads?
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Oh, and The Road is one of the best books I've read in the past 10 years. Don't skip out on it just because it was an Oprah book.
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Originally posted by K8teebug:
Oh, and The Road is one of the best books I've read in the past 10 years. Don't skip out on it just because it was an Oprah book.
It was an oprah book? I find it hard to imagine her audience reading certain parts.
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Originally posted by K8teebug:
The Secret History - kind of on the thriller aspect of books, but a good read
I liked Calamity Physics, which is allegedly a total rip-off of Secret History.
Originally posted by K8teebug:
DON'T recommend...
Joe College by Tom Perotta.
I thought Perotta's Bad Haircut was great. But then again, I hold a deep affinity for New Jersey.
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I read Little Children and loved it. But, this one is just not very good. Perhaps his books are hit or miss?
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Yeah, The Road was an Oprah Book. Apparently, it caused some controversy, because Cormac McCarthy went on the show, and he rarely gives interviews.
http://www.oprah.com/search.jsp?query=Cormac+McCarthy (http://www.oprah.com/search.jsp?query=Cormac+McCarthy)
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"Guests of the Ayatollah" by M. Bowden is one of the best reads that have come out in the past few years. Its now in paperback. Its about the 1979 Iranian Hostage affair.
Besides that, I'm currently reading "Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader", about the creepy North Korean Kim dynasty. Pretty good look at the totalitarian state and the weird people that run things there.
The new Sedaris book is about as funny as the others he's written. However that might not be the type of thing you are looking for. I don't read much fiction at all...I teach history.
Good luck.
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I'm reading God Save the Fan now. It's pretty awesome. Please Kill Me or Touching from a Distance are next on my list.
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<img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51WA9LBW-wL._SL500_AA240_.jpg" alt=" - " />
September 8 release date (http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Flat-Crowded-Revolution-America/dp/0374166854/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218130879&sr=8-2)
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Originally posted by vansmack:
<img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51WA9LBW-wL._SL500_AA240_.jpg" alt=" - " />
September 8 release date (http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Flat-Crowded-Revolution-America/dp/0374166854/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218130879&sr=8-2)
i can't wait to cringe at part of it and nod in agreement at part of it.
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here is a shot from the movie of The Road, didnt know they were making one, guess it figures
<img src="http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2008/08/07/road-mortensen.jpg" alt=" - " />
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Originally posted by pdx pollard:
here is a shot from the movie of The Road, didnt know they were making one, guess it figures
you didn't??? charlize theron is playing the mother. . .yeah. . .it's being released 5 days after harry potter and the half blood prince. . .
ridley scott is apparently hording the rights to blood meridian.
everyone wants to adapt a cormac mccarthy novel...too bad the studios ruined "all the pretty horses" already. . .
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Originally posted by Venerable Bede:
you didn't??? charlize theron is playing the mother. . .yeah. . .it's being released 5 days after harry potter and the half blood prince. . .
ridley scott is apparently hording the rights to blood meridian.
everyone wants to adapt a cormac mccarthy novel...too bad the studios ruined "all the pretty horses" already. . .
somebody should just pretend it never happened and remake all the pretty horses