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The Book Reccomendation Thread

PostPosted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 12:51 am
by sj_2150
so i havent read a book in at least 6 months and i really dont know what to read next. The last book i read was The Executioners (AKA Cape Feare) and the book was acctually very crap compared to both the Cape Feare films. Ive heard that i should read 1984 by George Orwell too but id like a selection of books i can think about anyway. im open to ANY suggestions on what books to read too. so any suggestions? :)

Re: The Book Reccomendation Thread

PostPosted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 12:59 am
by Devy, spelled Devy!
Anything by H.P Lovecraft :) But I don't know if you like short, florid horror stories written in the late 1800's and early 1900's *shrug*

More suggestions to come! I like this thread - There's too many good books out there.

Re: The Book Reccomendation Thread

PostPosted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 1:14 am
by chip8088
Depends if you like Sci Fi. If you do, then read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Hands down my favorite book of all time.

Re: The Book Reccomendation Thread

PostPosted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 2:26 am
by frequency-lsd
Friedrich Nietzsche - The Antichrist
Friedrich Nietzsche - Human, All To Human
Nietzsche was a great german philosopher, He wrote critical texts on religion, morality, contemporary culture, philosophy, and science

Mark Z. Danielewski - House Of Leaves
this might be one of the most interesting books i have ever read, many many storylines at the same time, sometimes even on the same page!
some info from wikipedia:

The format and structure of the novel is unconventional, with unusual page layout and style, making it ergodic literature. It contains copious footnotes, many of which contain footnotes themselves, and some of which reference books that do not exist.[1] Some pages contain only a few words or lines of text, arranged in strange ways to mirror the events in the story, often creating both an agoraphobic and a claustrophobic effect. The novel is also distinctive for its multiple narrators, who interact with each other throughout the story in disorienting and elaborate ways.

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Re: The Book Reccomendation Thread

PostPosted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 2:49 am
by psychotic
Philip K Dick - Valis
Philip K Dick - The Divine Invasion
Philip K Dick - The Transmigration of Timothy Archer
Philip K Dick - The Man in the High Tower
Philip K Dick - A Scanner Darkly
Philip K Dick - Radio Free Albemuth
Philip K Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Philip K Dick - UBIK

Outside of my obsession with Philip K Dick, I can also reccomend a number of books I've been reading on the paranormal, however, I'll just leave it to the authors. Troy Taylor and Leslie Rule seem to be the best ones to read from, at least from my perspective.

Also, classical readings, such as Dante's Divine Comedy, Homer and Virgil's writings like the Iliad, Odyssey, and Aenid are highly reccomended.

Re: The Book Reccomendation Thread

PostPosted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 3:16 am
by djskrimp
chip8088 wrote:Depends if you like Sci Fi. If you do, then read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Hands down my favorite book of all time.

Wow.....same here. "Speaker For the Dead" changed my life, and (funnily enough) about the same time I started listening to Devin Townsend.

Re: The Book Reccomendation Thread

PostPosted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 4:44 am
by Kivenkantaja
Steven Hall -The Raw Shark Texts

A guy loses his memory, gets letters from himself and fighst a conceptual shark. A little something to twist your mind. Good book. A thriller of some kind I guess?

Jeff Lindsay - Darkly Dreaming Dexter

Yeah, yeah the same Dexter that's on showtime. Read the book and don't watch the show. A healthy dose of Massive Attack is recommended while reading this.

Terry Pratchett's discworld novels, or at least some of them, are quite good. Stay away from the first two or three and your good. Hogfather and Soul Musicare highly recommended.

Because I am a cynical bastard I'd also like to recommend The Lord of the Flies. The only book I've ever referred to as 'one of my all time favourites'.

1984

Re: The Book Reccomendation Thread

PostPosted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 8:06 am
by chip8088
djskrimp wrote:
chip8088 wrote:Depends if you like Sci Fi. If you do, then read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Hands down my favorite book of all time.

Wow.....same here. "Speaker For the Dead" changed my life, and (funnily enough) about the same time I started listening to Devin Townsend.

NIce! I read Ender's game three times, heard the book on tape during long car trips twice, read Speaker for the Dead through Children of the Mind twice, and Ender's Shadow twice...i'm a bit obsessive. haha

Re: The Book Reccomendation Thread

PostPosted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 9:20 am
by Josiah Tobin
Neuromancer by William Gibson is one I always recommend if it hasn't been posted. Possibly my favorite book bar none :) Just amazingly structured, fantastic plot and the atmosphere is thick enough to choke you.

Also, I just recently finished the Otherland series by Tad Williams, which left me with a fantastic impression. The best ending to one of these 'epic' series of books I've read yet.

Another novel I've read relatively recently that sticks out as particularly excellent is Myst: The Book of Atrus. Even if you haven't played the game it's a fantastic, solidly-constructed story in itself with wonderfully unique characters and settings.

~Josiah

Re: The Book Reccomendation Thread

PostPosted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 9:27 am
by Dunkelheit
arthur machen - the hill of dreams

so fucking depressing, i love it

Re: The Book Reccomendation Thread

PostPosted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 11:42 am
by BlueRaja
Josiah Tobin wrote:
Another novel I've read relatively recently that sticks out as particularly excellent is Myst: The Book of Atrus. Even if you haven't played the game it's a fantastic, solidly-constructed story in itself with wonderfully unique characters and settings.

~Josiah


Oh wow! I read all 3 of the Myst novels. I was quite obsessed with everything-Myst for a few years. :D

I'll recommend my usual selection:
It & Insomnia - Stephen King
Weaveworld - Clive Barker (his short story books are also goodly bizarre)
Into Thin Air & Into The Wild - Jon Krakauer (first helps feed my everything-Mt Everest obsession)

There's also this thread: http://www.hevydevyforums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=4753

Re: The Book Reccomendation Thread

PostPosted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 12:01 pm
by Amber
Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. It's his fist published book (I think) And its really amazing. The characters depth is astounding, and the story is very interesting too. Cleverly written, and part of a trilogy. (although the second two aren't out yet ;-;) :D

Re: The Book Reccomendation Thread

PostPosted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 12:09 pm
by soundsofentropy
Orwell's 1984 is good, and so is Aldous Huxley's Brave New World (and most of the rest of his stuff). My favorite stuff is by Thomas Pynchon. For instance, Gravity's Rainbow is quite a trip. There's also James Joyce's stuff--Ulysses is a great, big read. Sounds like there are already some great recommendations on the thread, so I'll leave it be. Enjoy. :D

Re: The Book Reccomendation Thread

PostPosted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 1:05 pm
by MeOpsis
Just gonna go from the top of my head:

Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash By Neal Stephenson
Wraethu By Storm Constantine
Cat's Cradle By Kurt Vonnegut
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

I'll add more later.

Re: The Book Reccomendation Thread

PostPosted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 1:07 pm
by Devy, spelled Devy!
Josiah Tobin wrote:Neuromancer by William Gibson is one I always recommend if it hasn't been posted. Possibly my favorite book bar none :) Just amazingly structured, fantastic plot and the atmosphere is thick enough to choke you.


Hmmm that sounds interesting, what is the book about? Is it science fiction by any chance? :)

Oh, since were talking about Kurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse Five. That book is fantastic. Cat's Cradle is great too, those two books are eerily similar in some respects.