World War Z. It's a great book. Sure its got zombies, and theres that whole appeal, but its got an astounding sense of realism to it and theories about how prepared humanity would be to handle such an event. Definitely pick it up.
Recommend me some books
- Thread starter I Have No Idea
- Start date
Any Douglas Adams book, especially The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.
Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers.
Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.
Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers.
Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.
I enjoyed Bright's Passage by Josh Ritter.
It's a book about a man named Henry Bright who has just come home from the first world war to West Virginia, when his wife dies in childbirth. There's an angel (who is also a horse) and some other things that make it seem a bit strange, but it truly is a joy to read.
I wouldn't read too many "reviews" though, some of them have ridiculous spoilers.
Essentially, it's a very powerful piece which is one of the best I've read in a long time, full of descriptive language (but not to the boring Tolkien-esque style of describing every footstep). It flickers between West Virginia, the trenches in France, and his young life in a superb way.
Gah, JUST BUY THE BOOK
It's a book about a man named Henry Bright who has just come home from the first world war to West Virginia, when his wife dies in childbirth. There's an angel (who is also a horse) and some other things that make it seem a bit strange, but it truly is a joy to read.
I wouldn't read too many "reviews" though, some of them have ridiculous spoilers.
Essentially, it's a very powerful piece which is one of the best I've read in a long time, full of descriptive language (but not to the boring Tolkien-esque style of describing every footstep). It flickers between West Virginia, the trenches in France, and his young life in a superb way.
Gah, JUST BUY THE BOOK
I LOVE READING, DIDN'T YA' KNOW!
Anyway, to a professional and civil list. There's:
-Hitchhiker's Guide (Bloody, bloody, good; I recommend only the first three though.)
-The Wizards Series by Diane Duane (Basically present day mature Harry Potter with magic that works like alchemy from Fullmetal Alchemist. Good read for a mix of everything)
-The Glitch in Sleep and the Split Second both by John Hulme. (A kid applies to work in a world that manages our world. Short, but fun read)
-Anything by Lovecraft (No explanation needed)
-House of Leaves by Mark blubbdy blah (Horror and pretty...interesting)
-Stephen King (He drags on though, so I recommend only the Dark Tower series)
-Kurt Vonnegut (I really, really like this guy)
...and that's all I can think of at the moment.
Anyway, to a professional and civil list. There's:
-Hitchhiker's Guide (Bloody, bloody, good; I recommend only the first three though.)
-The Wizards Series by Diane Duane (Basically present day mature Harry Potter with magic that works like alchemy from Fullmetal Alchemist. Good read for a mix of everything)
-The Glitch in Sleep and the Split Second both by John Hulme. (A kid applies to work in a world that manages our world. Short, but fun read)
-Anything by Lovecraft (No explanation needed)
-House of Leaves by Mark blubbdy blah (Horror and pretty...interesting)
-Stephen King (He drags on though, so I recommend only the Dark Tower series)
-Kurt Vonnegut (I really, really like this guy)
...and that's all I can think of at the moment.
How about any book by Walter Moers?
I really liked The Thirteen and a Half Lives of Captain Bluebear.
(No really, check it out it's THE best book I have EVER read.)
So ya...
also on the other hand...
I really liked The Thirteen and a Half Lives of Captain Bluebear.
(No really, check it out it's THE best book I have EVER read.)
So ya...
also on the other hand...
I'veneverreadLotRorDiskWorldorevenASoIaFdon'thitmeplease!JWRosser said:
[HEADING=2]The Mode of Information: Poststructuralism and Social Context[/HEADING]
By Mark Poster.
When we make phone calls and use computers, electronic devices mediate how we communicate. In each instance, we exchange symbols and information just as we have since humans began speaking and writing. What, then-besides economy of space and time-differentiates electronic communications from ordinary speech and writing?
The difference, Mark Poster argues, is the profound effect electronic mediation exerts on the very way we perceive ourselves and reality. To help decode the linguistic dimensions of our multiple forms of social interaction, he plays upon Marx's theory of the mode of production-the shift to late capitalism has a parallel in the shift from the mode of production to that of information.
Enlisting poststructuralist theory, he links four modes of communication with four poststructuralists: TV ads with Baudrillard, data bases with Foucault, electronic writing with Derrida, and computer science with Lyotard. Mode of Information points the way to a poststructuralist strategy for writing history, a framework well suited to unearthing structures of domination and the means to their disruption.
By Mark Poster.
When we make phone calls and use computers, electronic devices mediate how we communicate. In each instance, we exchange symbols and information just as we have since humans began speaking and writing. What, then-besides economy of space and time-differentiates electronic communications from ordinary speech and writing?
The difference, Mark Poster argues, is the profound effect electronic mediation exerts on the very way we perceive ourselves and reality. To help decode the linguistic dimensions of our multiple forms of social interaction, he plays upon Marx's theory of the mode of production-the shift to late capitalism has a parallel in the shift from the mode of production to that of information.
Enlisting poststructuralist theory, he links four modes of communication with four poststructuralists: TV ads with Baudrillard, data bases with Foucault, electronic writing with Derrida, and computer science with Lyotard. Mode of Information points the way to a poststructuralist strategy for writing history, a framework well suited to unearthing structures of domination and the means to their disruption.
-http://www.amazon.com/Mode-Information-Poststructuralism-Social-Context/dp/0226675963
I agree with this.Nasrin said:
If you want something grim then I recommend Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell. Ever heard terms "Big Brother is watching" "Thought Police" or "Tought Crime" before? That's the book where it all began. It's easily the best book I've ever read and my all time favorite. If you want a bit lighter version read Orwell's "Animal Farm". It has same elements of political corruption but with animals. Still pretty grim though.
For fantasy books I recommend R.A Salvatore's books about Drizzt Do'Urden. Yeah he might be second to Jesus in terms of characteristics but Jesus didn't fight his way through enemies with scimitars and magical panther on his side! At least I can't remember that part of the Bible...
Last book I'm going to recommend is "Silence of the Lambs". Who hasn't heard about it? "Hannibal" is actually my favourite of the series but I recommend reading Silence before although it's not all that necessary.
Ready Player One
Ready Player One
READY PLAYER ONE!!
I cannot stress the amazingness that is this book. If you love video games, movies, books or basically any form of entertainment, you'll love this book. I've read it 4 times in less than 6 months and still can't get enough of it. I've also had 10 people read it. Every single one loved it as much as I did.
Again, Ready Player One
Ready Player One
READY PLAYER ONE!!
I cannot stress the amazingness that is this book. If you love video games, movies, books or basically any form of entertainment, you'll love this book. I've read it 4 times in less than 6 months and still can't get enough of it. I've also had 10 people read it. Every single one loved it as much as I did.
Again, Ready Player One
I shall suggest to you the book "Never trust a Rabbit" by Jeremy Dyson (of The League of Gentlemen fame if you're a British comedy fan), it's a collection of short stories; some of them funny, some of them dark and some in-between. It's a great read and some of the stories really stuck with me years down the line 
For some real philosophical horror, try H.P Lovecraft: Shadow out of time, shadow over innsmouth, the dunwich horror, whisperers in the darkness. Great stories, not too long.
I'd agree with this. At least in the sphere of fantasy.Smithburg said:
The Mistborn series, while not as good, scratched a similar itch for me. It turns out, I really like it when someone explains how magic works in such a way that it isn't really all that magical. Sympathy in The Kingkiller Chronicles is simply about moving energy from one object to the next so the laws of thermodynamics remain unbroken. Allomancy in Mistborn is not quite as grounded (burning pewter can dramatically increase one's resilience and strength for example) but it's certainly better than the usual "magic is magic" explanation.
Of course, that could easily be explained in Mistborn given that magic is the result of divine intervention.
Terry Pratchett has been recommended before as an author to read, but I'll go ahead and mention it as well.
I'd say start with Small Gods. It's not tied to any other Discworld novel and it's a great example of what to expect from his other books. If you like this one, you'll like the rest.
A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin is excellent, political intrigue in a pseudo-medieval low-key fantasy setting that's both familiar to those who know a bit of history and very exciting to explore because of it's unique characteristics (like an irregular season cycle, where summers and winters can last from months to years, and how the end of a very long summer and encroaching winter shape the tensions in the book), great round and believable characters with well fleshed out motivations and a complete absence of plot armour.
It's also a pretty substantial read, 5 books so far (with at least 2 more on the way) each over 500 pages long (the first three over 800 long)
Dune by Frank Herbert (and the sequels maybe, I personally didn't like the sequels despite loving the first book) good, solid and interesting Sci-Fi
Shōgun by James Clavell. Great book, historically based fiction set at the start of the 17th century taking place in feudal Japan from the perspective of an Englishman. Very interesting parallels between European and Japanese culture and a pretty hefty read at some 1000 pages.
I'd say start with Small Gods. It's not tied to any other Discworld novel and it's a great example of what to expect from his other books. If you like this one, you'll like the rest.
A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin is excellent, political intrigue in a pseudo-medieval low-key fantasy setting that's both familiar to those who know a bit of history and very exciting to explore because of it's unique characteristics (like an irregular season cycle, where summers and winters can last from months to years, and how the end of a very long summer and encroaching winter shape the tensions in the book), great round and believable characters with well fleshed out motivations and a complete absence of plot armour.
It's also a pretty substantial read, 5 books so far (with at least 2 more on the way) each over 500 pages long (the first three over 800 long)
Dune by Frank Herbert (and the sequels maybe, I personally didn't like the sequels despite loving the first book) good, solid and interesting Sci-Fi
Shōgun by James Clavell. Great book, historically based fiction set at the start of the 17th century taking place in feudal Japan from the perspective of an Englishman. Very interesting parallels between European and Japanese culture and a pretty hefty read at some 1000 pages.
Give Gustav Meyrink's novel "The Golem" a go. Not terribly easy to find, unless you're up for ordering it off the internet. Order it off Amazon or the like and you'll find it easy and cheap.
It's a highly atmospheric and stylistic mind-trip of a novel. You'll easily burn through it in a day or two, if you get into it as much as I did. It'll have you thinking quite some time after you finish it.
At the very least it's something different to try.
It's a highly atmospheric and stylistic mind-trip of a novel. You'll easily burn through it in a day or two, if you get into it as much as I did. It'll have you thinking quite some time after you finish it.
At the very least it's something different to try.
