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Book Thread Revisited

Poll: Book Thread Revisited (32 member(s) have cast votes)

What do you read?

  1. general or classical fiction (7 votes [21.88%] - View)

    Percentage of vote: 21.88%

  2. non-fiction or history (3 votes [9.38%] - View)

    Percentage of vote: 9.38%

  3. science fiction (8 votes [25.00%] - View)

    Percentage of vote: 25.00%

  4. fantasy (8 votes [25.00%] - View)

    Percentage of vote: 25.00%

  5. horror (4 votes [12.50%] - View)

    Percentage of vote: 12.50%

  6. I don't read because I'm retarded :( (2 votes [6.25%] - View)

    Percentage of vote: 6.25%

Vote Guests cannot vote
I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't restart this thread until I could resolve a point of contention between me and ILB, namely that Herman Melville sucks. To that end, I swallowed my pride and read (the apparently unabridged version) of Moby Dick. I can say with mathematical precision that around 85% of that book contributed nothing to the story and served as tirades for or against whatever practice or belief tickled his fancy at the time. HOWEVER, when he did get to writing on the actual story he was able to produce moments that justified the book's immortality.

My personal favorite, naturally, was:
Spoiler


Now I'm reading "Blood Meridian" by Cormac McCarthy. It is extremely violent:
Spoiler


Anyway, I had a compounded reading list of what everyone suggested I read this year from the last thread in the old forum but I think I'll tidy that up and add it later; so for now I'm going to put up new bounties on literary suggestions. This is what I need:
  • obscure science fiction (as usual; the more recent, the better.)
  • good horror stories (anthologies or novels will do, I've already discovered Lovecraft and I'm starting Blackwood soon.)
  • good pre-Christian mythology anthologies (i.e. Celtic, Viking, Germanic, Japanese, and so on; I'm pretty saturated with Greek, Roman and Arabic already.)

  • #1
  • 07 January 2011 - 04:53 PM
  • ILB
  • secretly a man :smirk:
    Member

Quote

I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't restart this thread until I could resolve a point of contention between me and ILB, namely that Herman Melville sucks.


Tee hee~

Well, I do agree that there are lots of parts there that have nothing to do with the story, but I personally enjoy those bits just as much as the actual plot. Also, the infusions of linguistic twists and historical reference makes the book a very interesting read in terms of the thoughts of older times.
  • #2
  • 07 January 2011 - 05:28 PM
  • wacko
  • Knows more about BCB than Taeshi
    Member
I unfortunately read much less now than I used to. Currently I'm almost done re-reading A Storm of Swords, which is part of a fantasy series by George R.R. Martin. After that, I plan to chill out with FoxTrot Sundaes (yay comics), then maybe continue on to re-reading A Feast for Crows (same fantasy series) or else start Ender's Game which I received for Christmas. Funny thing about that book, I originally planned to buy it several years ago but ended up buying Dune instead.

Alas, I have no recommendations for you in the areas you're looking for.
  • #3
  • 07 January 2011 - 05:40 PM
How did you managed to get through Moby Dick? I'm very, very slowly trying to get through it myself...
Anyway Stephen King=great author (though I think I mentioned that in the old forum). I've read some obscure Science fiction and in my opinion most of it is obscure for a reason...not so obscure but try Arthur C. Clarke for that genre if you haven't already.

This post has been edited by (nameless): 07 January 2011 - 06:14 PM

  • #4
  • 07 January 2011 - 06:12 PM
Read House of Leaves
  • #5
  • 07 January 2011 - 06:13 PM
^That's on my to read list *sigh*, its a long to read list...
  • #6
  • 07 January 2011 - 06:15 PM
I think I'll have to leave it at "Fantasy" (my vote)(that and many got more than two types...) but I always enjoy a good horror book though... and others whenever I'm bored (I'd have to look for Authors or see if the title changes because of translation, but I think I'll be able to post something...)

This post has been edited by Enoban: 07 January 2011 - 06:23 PM

  • #7
  • 07 January 2011 - 06:22 PM
i don't read,not even on the Internet.
i comment on threads by pure intuition.

reading is for fags.
  • #8
  • 07 January 2011 - 06:35 PM
at this moment im reading Lev Tolstoi's Anna Karerina. lots of drama, poor annie :(
its kind of slow, but rewarding, i loved it.

my next book will be Bolaño's Savages Detectives :3
  • #9
  • 07 January 2011 - 06:35 PM
I'm thinking about reading the Alan Quartermain and Master & Commander series. Anyone know if these are any good?
Plus, I haven't started reading Algernon Blackwood yet. So same question.
  • #10
  • 07 January 2011 - 07:17 PM

View Postoddguy, on 07 January 2011 - 06:35 PM, said:

i don't read,not even on the Internet.
i comment on threads by pure intuition.

reading is for fags.

Oh shit, I just read your post, and everything else on this forum. THERE ARE WORDS EVERYWHERE AND I CANT STOP READING THEM. I MUST BE THE WORLDS BIGGEST FAGGOT.
  • #11
  • 07 January 2011 - 08:10 PM

View PostCaptainBaconMan, on 07 January 2011 - 08:10 PM, said:

View Postoddguy, on 07 January 2011 - 06:35 PM, said:

i don't read,not even on the Internet.
i comment on threads by pure intuition.

reading is for fags.

Oh shit, I just read your post, and everything else on this forum. THERE ARE WORDS EVERYWHERE AND I CANT STOP READING THEM. I MUST BE THE WORLDS BIGGEST FAGGOT.


you are.
  • #12
  • 07 January 2011 - 08:23 PM
Read Ender's game if you haven't.
  • #13
  • 07 January 2011 - 10:36 PM
I just kind of read, anything and everything. As for horror, I've heard good things about Edgar Allen Poe's more... obscure titles. E.g. The Masque of the Red Death, The Tell-Tale Heart and The Premature Burial. I haven't actually read any apart from The Tell-Tale Heart, but it's good. Obscure recent Sci-Fi and pre-Christian mythology, I'm not sure. You have very eclectic tastes, don't you Jerk? :)
  • #14
  • 07 January 2011 - 10:55 PM
I LOVE fantasy, but only certain types. I dont like that kind of wizard-dragon thing. (sorry Harry Potter fans) I also like Realistic Fiction.
  • #15
  • 07 January 2011 - 11:03 PM
There is no option for "Do you read all genres?"
  • #16
  • 07 January 2011 - 11:05 PM
Ender's game is brilliant, now then

Peter F Hamilton, ANYTHING by him, nights dawn trilogy, commonwealth saga, and void trilogy are the best

Ark by stephen baxter
  • #17
  • 08 January 2011 - 01:13 AM
I'm afraid I don't have anything in the genres you specified. But I'm planning on reading Zombie Spaceship Wasteland by Patton Oswald.
  • #18
  • 08 January 2011 - 01:45 AM
I had my copy of Ender's Game autographed because my sister is friends with Orson Scott Card's niece.

AND I GAVE IT TO MY THEN-GIRLFRIEND FOR HER BIRTHDAY. DERP DERP DERP. *headtodesk*
  • #19
  • 08 January 2011 - 02:53 AM

View Postoddguy, on 07 January 2011 - 08:23 PM, said:

View PostCaptainBaconMan, on 07 January 2011 - 08:10 PM, said:

View Postoddguy, on 07 January 2011 - 06:35 PM, said:

i don't read,not even on the Internet.
i comment on threads by pure intuition.

reading is for fags.

Oh shit, I just read your post, and everything else on this forum. THERE ARE WORDS EVERYWHERE AND I CANT STOP READING THEM. I MUST BE THE WORLDS BIGGEST FAGGOT.


you are.

*heavy sigh*
  • #20
  • 08 January 2011 - 03:44 AM
Read some math and physics. That'll fix your wagon. ;)

Honestly though, best book I've ever read was "Introduction to Electrodynamics" by Griffiths. If you're ever taking electromagnetism in university, get this book.
  • #21
  • 08 January 2011 - 04:07 AM

View Post(nameless), on 08 January 2011 - 03:44 AM, said:

View Postoddguy, on 07 January 2011 - 08:23 PM, said:

View PostCaptainBaconMan, on 07 January 2011 - 08:10 PM, said:

View Postoddguy, on 07 January 2011 - 06:35 PM, said:

i don't read,not even on the Internet.
i comment on threads by pure intuition.

reading is for fags.

Oh shit, I just read your post, and everything else on this forum. THERE ARE WORDS EVERYWHERE AND I CANT STOP READING THEM. I MUST BE THE WORLDS BIGGEST FAGGOT.


you are.

*heavy sigh*


also you.
  • #22
  • 08 January 2011 - 04:34 AM
  • ILB
  • secretly a man :smirk:
    Member
I voted for Fantasy, but that is only because I have read every book in the Discworld series. ^_^

By which I mean, I read other genres as well (Classical fiction, history, mythologies, and also prose, poetry and more comedic writing, plus that I am a vivid reader of news articles). But since the question was single-choice, I put the genre from which I have read most books.

Hmm... If you count Les Misérables as one book, that is.
  • #23
  • 08 January 2011 - 03:41 PM
Anyone here into Michael Crichton?

View PostElliot, on 07 January 2011 - 10:55 PM, said:

I just kind of read, anything and everything. As for horror, I've heard good things about Edgar Allen Poe's more... obscure titles. E.g. The Masque of the Red Death, The Tell-Tale Heart and The Premature Burial. I haven't actually read any apart from The Tell-Tale Heart, but it's good. Obscure recent Sci-Fi and pre-Christian mythology, I'm not sure. You have very eclectic tastes, don't you Jerk? :)


If you haven't already, you need to read some of H.P. Lovecraft's stuff.

He's kind of like Poe crossed with H.G. Wells.

This post has been edited by CaptainBaconMan: 08 January 2011 - 05:53 PM

  • #24
  • 08 January 2011 - 05:50 PM
Ok one of the funniest books ever is this

Posted Image

P.S. I am white

This post has been edited by Rawrdinosaur: 08 January 2011 - 06:27 PM

  • #25
  • 08 January 2011 - 06:25 PM
Catcher in the Rye anyone?
  • #26
  • 08 January 2011 - 06:41 PM
Blood Meridian is awesome if you can stomach it. It's about a group of mercenaries in Mexico paid to rout out the nomad tribes of Indians, but the only acceptable receipt for their actions is a human scalp. Imagine "Grapes of Wrath" mixed with "Heart of Darkness," now flip all the characters inside out so that their organs are pulsing in the open air. Yeah. It's like that.
  • #27
  • 08 January 2011 - 06:53 PM
It does sound like something you'd enjoy reading. :smirk:
  • #28
  • 08 January 2011 - 06:57 PM
Posted Image

PRETTY MUCH.
  • #29
  • 08 January 2011 - 08:56 PM
  • ILB
  • secretly a man :smirk:
    Member
I keep seeing Fanboys strips everywhere lately. Here, there and everywhere ^_^
  • #30
  • 08 January 2011 - 09:00 PM
Scott DeWitt does facial expressions almost on par with Patrick Alexander, so he deserves that much credit. Though he can't update or write a compelling character development arc to save his mortal soul. But then neither can Alexander soooo...

I've read so much of what people are suggesting. I want to respond to them all, and perhaps I will, but for now I will procrastinate.

I'm starting "World War Z" today, I think. We'll see how that turns out.
  • #31
  • 08 January 2011 - 09:07 PM
Whoever said Michael Crichton, yes! Brilliant books by him...
And whoever said Catcher in the Rye, that's quite possibly the most boring and depressing book I have ever read.
  • #32
  • 08 January 2011 - 11:50 PM

View PostCloud, on 08 January 2011 - 11:50 PM, said:

And whoever said Catcher in the Rye, that's quite possibly the most boring and depressing book I have ever read.


Read "War and Peace" and come back to me when you're done.

Tolstoy was a genius, but he was an awful story-teller.
  • #33
  • 08 January 2011 - 11:57 PM
War and Peace admittedly, would probably beat it. At least that's universally recognised though
  • #34
  • 09 January 2011 - 12:00 AM
It took me nine long days to read. It is every bit as boring as you have been led to believe.

Contrast with Dostoevsky, "The Brothers Karamazov," and his brilliant story-telling and character development.
  • #35
  • 09 January 2011 - 12:06 AM
Little Women yo!
  • #36
  • 09 January 2011 - 12:28 AM
Who else fucking hates The Odyssey?

View PostJerk, on 08 January 2011 - 09:07 PM, said:

I'm starting "World War Z" today, I think. We'll see how that turns out.


That book is awesome. You should also read The Zombie Survival Guide, it's based on the same zombies in WWZ.
And I don't know if you knew this, but the author of those books is Mel Brooks' son.

This post has been edited by CaptainBaconMan: 09 January 2011 - 12:47 AM

  • #37
  • 09 January 2011 - 12:38 AM

View PostCloud, on 08 January 2011 - 11:50 PM, said:

Whoever said Michael Crichton, yes! Brilliant books by him...
And whoever said Catcher in the Rye, that's quite possibly the most boring and depressing book I have ever read.

I loved it... Q_Q
  • #38
  • 09 January 2011 - 04:26 AM
I read Webcomics :D
  • #39
  • 09 January 2011 - 07:35 AM
"We need to make books cool again. If you go home with somebody and they don’t have books, don’t fuck them."
— John Waters
  • #40
  • 09 January 2011 - 07:49 AM
  • ILB
  • secretly a man :smirk:
    Member

Quote

Who else fucking hates The Odyssey?


I do not. It is a great story. ^_^

Quote

Tolstoy was a genius, but he was an awful story-teller.


Too bad he is known for his books, then. :smirk:

I have never read War and Peace, though. Tried to obtain a copy, but it was in four volumes and the first one was out of print so no luck there. :x
  • #41
  • 09 January 2011 - 01:29 PM

View PostILB, on 09 January 2011 - 01:29 PM, said:

I have never read War and Peace, though. Tried to obtain a copy, but it was in four volumes and the first one was out of print so no luck there. :x


Well, you can find an e-book copy or a PDF anywhere on the internet, just google it. The IP from the book is part of the public domain.
  • #42
  • 09 January 2011 - 07:26 PM
i liked haruki murakami's "Norwegian forest"...
i hate all his other books.
  • #43
  • 09 January 2011 - 07:30 PM

View PostCaptainBaconMan, on 09 January 2011 - 12:38 AM, said:

Who else fucking hates The Odyssey?


The Odyssey is probably the best story ever told in the history of mankind.

View PostMikanada, on 09 January 2011 - 07:35 AM, said:

I read Webcomics :D


READ BOOKS, MORAN

(Dear Christ Jesus, why am I still drunk?)

View PostCaptainBaconMan, on 09 January 2011 - 07:49 AM, said:

"We need to make books cool again. If you go home with somebody and they don’t have books, don’t fuck them."
— John Waters


Seriously? Fuck her anyway, just use protection so you don't end up making potentially retarded babies with her.

@ ILB: Tolstoy wrote letters to Mahatma Gandhi until he died at the age of, like, 100. Their correspondence inspired Gandhi's civil disobedience.
  • #44
  • 09 January 2011 - 07:55 PM
  • ILB
  • secretly a man :smirk:
    Member

Quote

@ ILB: Tolstoy wrote letters to Mahatma Gandhi until he died at the age of, like, 100. Their correspondence inspired Gandhi's civil disobedience.


I never knew that, actually. But I suppose that would be a considerable point.
  • #45
  • 09 January 2011 - 07:57 PM
Yes, he wrote a lot on the topic of civil disobedience and this inspired Gandhi. They corresponded toward the end of his life and toward the beginning of Gandhi's popularity. I read Gandhi's autobiography. I encourage everyone to read it. It's very good.
  • #46
  • 09 January 2011 - 08:03 PM
Hmm. Pre-Christian mythology? Have you tried China's Journey to the West?
link :3
  • #47
  • 09 January 2011 - 10:38 PM

View PostJerk, on 09 January 2011 - 07:55 PM, said:

View PostCaptainBaconMan, on 09 January 2011 - 12:38 AM, said:

Who else fucking hates The Odyssey?

The Odyssey is probably the best story ever told in the history of mankind.


MAYBE IN GAYLAND
  • #48
  • 10 January 2011 - 01:45 AM

View PostCaptainBaconMan, on 10 January 2011 - 01:45 AM, said:

View PostJerk, on 09 January 2011 - 07:55 PM, said:

View PostCaptainBaconMan, on 09 January 2011 - 12:38 AM, said:

Who else fucking hates The Odyssey?

The Odyssey is probably the best story ever told in the history of mankind.


MAYBE IN GAYLAND

Gayland seems like a pretty happy place.
  • #49
  • 10 January 2011 - 03:25 AM

View PostMoosack, on 10 January 2011 - 03:25 AM, said:

View PostCaptainBaconMan, on 10 January 2011 - 01:45 AM, said:

View PostJerk, on 09 January 2011 - 07:55 PM, said:

View PostCaptainBaconMan, on 09 January 2011 - 12:38 AM, said:

Who else fucking hates The Odyssey?

The Odyssey is probably the best story ever told in the history of mankind.


MAYBE IN GAYLAND

Gayland seems like a pretty happy place.

Yeah, it's quite beautiful there at this time of year.
  • #50
  • 10 January 2011 - 03:47 AM
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