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Post by mattlikesrock on Jun 19, 2008 13:17:38 GMT -5
I like to read, and would like to do so more often, but I'd like some suggestions for what to read. I read the bible, some poetry like Saul Williams and Langston Hughes, and I liked Into the Wild and On the Road. I want some stuff to challenge me and expand my horizons, educate me. Would any of you have some suggestions for me?
Stephen King once described his work as the literary equivalent of a Big Mac...well, call me low brow, but I like Big Macs, and I like Stephen King, too. Just entertainment. You'll learn nothing...besides that, I like true crime stuff, like In Cold Blood, or serial killer bios, & how they were caught, etc...there was one about Richard Ramirez, aka the Night Stalker, that was really great...written by the detectives that broke the case....sorry, I'm sure this didn't help, but I thought I'd toss in my 2 cents anywho...
The Time Traveler's Wife. Sounds weird, and it is, but its a beautiful story. If you've ever been to Chicago, you'll especially enjoy it... or it will make you want to go. Chicago is like a character in the novel.
Last Edit: Jun 19, 2008 14:59:59 GMT -5 by Deleted - Back to Top
Post by jumpinjamesbrown on Jun 19, 2008 22:26:28 GMT -5
funny when i saw the title of the thread i first thought of on the road and you had it listed already
read wretched of the earth - franz fanon anything by irvine welsh rides of the midway by - lee durkee anything by hunter s. thompson and read as much philosophy as possible, i always enjoyed that the most
*i like coconuts, you can break them open they smell like ladies lyin in the sun** *Hell I don't even know where I am** *for now I must sit here and ponder the yonder: The herbivores did well cause their food didn't never run** *We listen, if it feels good We shake** *You made a big impression for a girl of your size, Now I can't get by without you and your big brown eyes.**
Post by trippindaisy on Jun 20, 2008 7:38:50 GMT -5
Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett - amazing book! The Kite Runner - can't remember author. Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson - sci fi (which I don't normally read) but it is a great book.
Books are so subjective ane it's hard to tell what you'll like but...
Stuff on what it means to be a good person (from a liberal, open-minded Christian perspective - though Christianity is not a prerequisite)
The Irresistable Revolution by Shane Claiborne Credo by William Sloan Coffin
Non-fiction
Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer (if you liked Krakauer's style in Into The Wild) Education of a Wandering Man - Louis Lamour Against All Enemies - Richard Clarke ( inside look at 9/11 lead-up and follow up) Confessions of an Economic Hitman - John Perkins ( how the global economy really works)
Fiction
I agree with Stephen King (especially his older stuff). A good intro is Different Seasons, four novellas which you may recognize from movies (Shawshank Redemption, The Body (Stand by Me), Apt Pupil) The stories are better. The Novel, "It", is my favorite novel
World War Z - Max Brooks (If you like zombies, geo-politics, history,etc - which I do)
Ray Bradbury (if you like classic prose) - Martian Chronicles, Dandelion Wine, Something Wicked This Way Comes
Hope this helps
Last Edit: Jun 20, 2008 8:19:43 GMT -5 by troo - Back to Top
i was going to suggest the same, it changed my way of thinking more than any other book ever has.
Agreed. And now I feel the need to make a renewed plea on its behalf, so it stands out amongst a sea of suggestions. Trying to explain this book in a nutshell is a bit of a tall order, but I'll give it a shot anyhow...
Zen takes place during a cross-county motorcycle road trip. The narrator has his son in tow, and a married couple joins them for part of the trek. The road trip narrative intersperses with a series of philosophical musings by the narrator, a former U of Montana professor - father & son's intended destination is a visit to U-MT. Some of the themes Pirsig gets into on the philosophical side address: classicism vs. romanticism, questioning of rationality, attempts to synchronize Eastern and Western ways of thought, to name a few. Along the way, the narrator recalls his stint as U-MT professor. He ultimately became so obsessed with foundational philosophical aspects that he was committed to an asylum. It's kind of a non-violent Tyler Durden situation, and the further west they go the more it plays into the plot. However, it comes with a caveat from the author: "It should in no way be associated with that great body of factual information relating to orthodox Zen Buddhist practice. It's not very factual on motorcycles, either."
I still feel I've barely scratched the surface here. If that sounds at all interesting, definitely check it out.
A favorite of mine has always been Steinbeck's "The Grapes Of Wrath"
There is always Chuck Palahniuk... I suggest any work by him, especially "Choke," "Fight Club" and "Rant"
Brett Easton Ellis' "Less Than Zero" and "Lunar Park" are another two favorites.
If you're up for some non-fiction/sociological musings that'll (maybe) change your life, check out Malcom Gladwell's "Blink" and "The Tipping Point". Both are awesome books and I firmly believe everyone should be issued a copy upon birth.
Or, read anything by Robert Young Pelton. Especially "The Worlds Most Dangerous Places, 5th Ed." He's a travel writer/adventurer and, in general, ridiculously awesome.
Stephen King once described his work as the literary equivalent of a Big Mac...well, call me low brow, but I like Big Macs, and I like Stephen King, too. Just entertainment. You'll learn nothing...besides that, I like true crime stuff, like In Cold Blood, or serial killer bios, & how they were caught, etc...there was one about Richard Ramirez, aka the Night Stalker, that was really great...written by the detectives that broke the case....sorry, I'm sure this didn't help, but I thought I'd toss in my 2 cents anywho...
I could put you on some really mind expanding stuff, but for right now, I'm agree with this guy and recommend King. The Gunslinger series alone should get you through to Christmas...and that's if you are a fast reader.
imho though anyone who's has not read Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins should.
From wikiquote
"If you believe in peace, act peacefully; if you believe in love, acting lovingly; if you believe every which way, then act every which way, that's perfectly valid— but don't go out trying to sell your beliefs to the system. You end up contradicting what you profess to believe in, and you set a bum example. If you want to change the world, change yourself."
Last Edit: Jun 20, 2008 16:58:01 GMT -5 by Deleted - Back to Top
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean Dominique Bauby. One of the most beautiful things I've ever read. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah. A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby.
Post by DystopianDream on Jun 20, 2008 22:13:00 GMT -5
I second Hitchhiker's and the Bret Easton Ellis suggestions. . . I'll also add Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. It will quite literally change your life. Ask any one who's read it, it seriously makes you rethink literally every move you'll ever make.
Also-- you can never go wrong with anything by Bill Bryson, but specifically his book A Short History of Nearly Everything will make you feel rather smart about quite a lot.
Watchin' a stretch of road, miles of light explode. Driftin' off a thing I'd never done before. Watchin' a crowd roll in. Out go the lights it begins. A feelin' in my bones I've never felt before...
Into Thin Air is awesome - I missed my bus stop one day reading it. I could not put it down.
Dharma Punks - I really feel that everyone must read this book
The Awakening Fear of Flying Lady Chatterly's Lover (really isn't racy in 2008, but still brings up good issues) A Farewell to Arms (gets better each time I read it) The Apprentice by Jacques Pepin
And then I just read Are You There Vodka, It's Me, Chelsea and LOVED it. Lauged out loud, on the bus. So nice to have a good beach book that's not pure fluff.