(Part 3) Best classic literature & fiction books according to redditors
We found 8,298 Reddit comments discussing the best classic literature & fiction books. We ranked the 2,453 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 41-60. You can also go back to the previous section.
53. The Divine Comedy (The Inferno, The Purgatorio, and The Paradiso)
13 mentions
New American Library
It Can't Happen Here - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0451465644
You have to remember that Hitler was appointed chancellor by a democratically elected president. Genocide doesn't just happen in a week, nor does change.
https://www.amazon.com/They-Thought-Were-Free-Germans/dp/0226511928
https://www.amazon.com/Cant-Happen-Here-Signet-Classics/dp/0451465644
Relevant reads
Anyone interested in the origin of dystopian novels should check out We by Yevgeny Zamyatin, the first book to be banned by the Soviet Censorship board.
>In the One State of the great Benefactor, there are no individuals, only numbers. Life is an ongoing process of mathematical precision, a perfectly balanced equation. Primitive passions and instincts have been subdued. Even nature has been defeated, banished behind the Green Wall. But one frontier remains: outer space. Now, with the creation of the spaceship Integral, that frontier -- and whatever alien species are to be found there -- will be subjugated to the beneficent yoke of reason.
>One number, D-503, chief architect of the Integral, decides to record his thoughts in the final days before the launch for the benefit of less advanced societies. But a chance meeting with the beautiful 1-330 results in an unexpected discovery that threatens everything D-503 believes about himself and the One State. The discovery -- or rediscovery -- of inner space...and that disease the ancients called the soul.
I posted this in another thread, but going to post it again here since it's relevant.
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I feel like we should be mailing textbooks/memoirs on fascism/authoritarianism to our representatives...
I thought about organizing a gofundme to send the same book to all Republican representatives (senate and congress) from Amazon, but I think it would be more effective if it was sent from individual constituents in the rep's districts. I personally feel powerless since all my representatives are democrat, but I think it would send a really powerful message if people in red districts sent copies of books directly from Amazon. It would only cost around $10 to do that, and you can include a gift message with your address and why you're sending it.
People smarter than me probably have better suggestions, and could even point out passages that should be highlighted and bookmarked, but here are a few suggestions off the top of my head:
EDIT: Adding 1984 by Orwell to the list for obvious reasons.
Not really... there are a ton of accounts of the war, both from soldiers and from civilians. Go to your local library and have a look around. The Russians were amazing in the war and don't get nearly enough credit, at least as far as I was taught in America.
Here's my favorite quote of all the documents I've read about WW2, spoken by a Red Army soldier from Kirghizia during the siege of Stalingrad:
>The city is tired, the house is tired, the stones are tired. We are not tired.
This was when Hitler was literally trying to destroy the city--not just capture it, or overtake it, but destroy it. Entirely. He ordered that every man in the city be killed (this was literally his exact order), and the women "deported", most likely to death camps. His primary reason for such destruction at the cost of millions of men's lives, including his own soldiers? The city's name.
Here's the quote of a German corporal writing home to his father about Russians in Stalingrad:
>Father, it's impossible to describe what is happening here. Everyone in Stalingrad who still possesses a head and hands, women as well as men, carries on fighting.
The true horrors of WW2 occurred on the Eastern front. But, the Pacific front was perhaps filled with the most disgusting, sadistic moments--especially if you include the 2nd Sino-Japanese war (Japanese occupation of mainland Asia, specifically China, where the Rape of Nanking happened). The Bataan Death March alone stands as a record of how terrible the Japanese military was.
Here's a (truncated) quote from Lester Tenney, an American soldier who was in the Death March, taken from the book The Story of World War II by Donald L. Miller, a book mostly comprised of quotations from people who experienced the war. The previous two quotes were also quoted in this book. Here's one of Tenney's stories (he tells quite a few about the march):
>On that fifth day of the march, I witnessed one of the most sadistic and inhumane incidents of the entire march... the guard ordered us to stand up and start walking. One of the men had a very bad case of malaria... When ordered to stand up, he could not do it. Without a minute's hesitation, the guard hit him over the head with the butt of his gun, knocked him down, then called for two nearby prisoners to dig a hole to bury the fallen prisoner. The two men started digging, and when the hole was about a foot deep, the guard ordered the two men to place the sick man in the hole and bury him alive. The two men shook their heads; they could not do that...
>Without warning... the guard shot the bigger of the two prisoners. He then pulled two more men from the line and ordered them to dig another hole to bury the murdered man... They dug the second hole, placed the two bodies in the holes, and threw dirt over them. The first man, still alive, started screaming as the dirt was thrown on him..."
He goes on to tell stories about decapitation, random killings, and even an officer on a horse who rides along the line swinging his sword in an attempt to decapitate random prisoners--including nearly killing Tenney himself. All of this, however, is nothing compared to the Japanese in mainland Asia, but I don't have anything on hand to quote from.
This is the kind of stuff that really should be read, and the kind of stories that must be told, because there's no way to say "war is bad" without describing, in detail, why. It's like telling a toddler not to touch a hot stove... without knowing the truth of the feeling, it can't be understood.
If you want to read more about life in the war, check out "The Good War" by Studs Terkel, which is entirely comprised of interviews with survivors of the war, families of soldiers, regular civilians during the war, etc. Gives a great portrait of every aspect of life during that time, not just the battles themselves. It doesn't give enough about the Eastern front, however, which is disappointing to me.
If you're curious about how absolutely ludicrous the Eastern front, notably the Russians, were, check out Ivan's War by Catherine Merridale. Absolutely fascinating. Also, listen to Dan Carlin's Hardcore History series about it. Really well presented and, though long, never boring. It's free on iTunes, under the podcast listings.
edit - Spelling, grammar, etc.
edit 2 - Forgot to mention that if you don't like non-fiction and haven't read All Quiet On The Western Front, this is basically a story designed to "stop war" by telling of its atrocities. Though I think it's technically fiction, the author was in the war (WWI in this case, and on the German side) and bases the story on his own/the others soldiers he served with's experiences. The scene where the narrator returns home on leave made me cry my eyes out. Short book but very powerful.
>The funny thing is that the Hobbit & Lord of the Rings combined were smaller than AFFC & ADWD
I had to look it up and holy shit, you're right!
LotR one volume edition has 1178 pages
Hobbit has only 300 pages
But A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons together consist of 2256 pages.
It's crazy.
No, let's do cost comparison for entertainment time.
I can buy the Lord of the Rings for $12.49. It will take me at least 100 hours to read it. That's $0.12 (rounded) per hour.
With this information in mind, I suppose the retail price for AAA titles will soon be adjusted accordingly.
Get off my lawn!
Yep. The Great War was super exciting and some boys altered their dates of birth so the cold be one of the 'cool kids' and enlist younger than 18. They would be home for Christmas!
Then this Verdun etc. happened. A bunch of overhyped kids got the horrible reality of war smacked in their faces. If they survived the warfare, illness, trenches etc.
PTSD wasn't a thing people recognized or understood, so if you came back and were distressed, you were branded 'Shell Shocked' or a coward.
I think I first 'got' it reading All Quiet on the Western Front
Also, The Christmas Armistice of 1914 was both heart warming and heart breaking.
I'm trained in Jazz and Classical, so the chords will run through my head whether I like it or not. Then I usually notice the instrumentation, rhythm, how tight they are as an ensemble, etc. (I can usually tell if a soloist knows the changes or not- hasn't been a hinderance, just funny sometimes).
Knowing theory has made me enjoy music more, in fact. I disagree with the people saying it takes the magic away. The important part is not allowing your analytical, objective listener to overpower your emotional, subjective listener. They should both be there, but an imbalance of analysis will suck your enjoyment dry. Knowing the language of music gives you access to the conversational, thematic realm of it. You notice and pick apart the different themes/phrases with new brain tools, which allows you to analyze the piece on a deeper, thematic level. This is why I believe people studying theory tend to eventually gravitate towards Classical and Jazz once they get these tools, as their brains enjoy picking apart the once indecipherable intricacies that popular music doesn't for the most part offer.
As for learning basic analytical skills, Aaron Copland wrote a book called What to Listen for in Music that covers this topic without getting into too much technical detail. He intended it to be a book the complete layman could use to learn the art of really listening to the conversational/thematic part of music.
If you want a cold analysis of these songs, the easiest way to practice this would be to get your instrument and figure out the chords behind these songs, then write them down. Your brain will get better at it, and start picking up characteristics like root/scale degree, inversion, chord quality, etc. almost immediately.
There's a similar moment in the novel Alas, Babylon.
The main character, who lives in a small town in central Florida, has just taken out all his money from his bank account because he knows there's going to be a nuclear war. He gives a cryptic answer to the bank managers questions, so the banker decides to make a call.
Banker: Yes, I'd like to speak to the manager of the First National Bank in Jacksonville.
Operator: Just a moment.
The operator works to connect the call. The banker happens to be facing northeast. A bright flash of light on the horizon makes him wince.
Operator: I'm sorry sir, I can't connect you to Jacksonville. It's not there anymore.
EDIT: Why did someone downvote this? I mean it's just one downvote and it's not the karma that bothers me but, seriously, redditiquette, guys. I made an on topic post that followed the guidelines. If you didn't like the book leave a comment. Let's not downvote things simply because you don't agree.
Please, please, please don't suggest anything by Coelho to anyone. He's one of the worst writers in America. If you think Coelho is good it's because you haven't read anything of what Latin America has to offer, so let me drop some titles for you:
And that's just to name a few. The titles lead to the Amazon pages.
Ps. If you want the books to read in your Kindle or something, PM because I know a guy and can pass you the file.
> I feel like I don't stand for anything, I don't have an identity I feel confident in.
That requires a lot of self-reflection, thinking about what you value and how/if you act according to those values.
> the person I was in high school seems alien to me now.
In a few years, you're probably going to feel the same way about the you right now.
> in the age of social media it feels like everyone's eyes are on me
Most people are too concerned with what other people think about them to spend much time thinking about you.
> I can't control what they think of me
It's good that you realize that.
> but I can't help but feel like most see me as a goofy, disinterested nice guy
Maybe they do, maybe they don't. There's no way for you to know what other people think about you. Even if they say they think you're goofy, there's no way to know if they're telling the truth. If you choose to believe everyone else thinks you're goofy, you can do that, but it's a choice you've decided to make. Your time is better spent trying to be the sort of person you want to be than on worrying about what other people think of you.
> When I push away those fears I instead become an asshole and don't think before I speak.
That's another choice you make. No one forces you to speak without thinking. No one forces you to act like an asshole. If you want to be a kind, virtuous person, that's in your control.
> I've read Meditation and checked out the sidebar on the topics but I'm having trouble implementing the ideas into my daily life
We generally advise that new people do not start with Meditations, as it wasn't intended as an entry point to Stoicism. It's the working journal of an advanced student, and Marcus assumes the reader is already familiar with all of the concepts.
Here's a short list of recommended places to start:
Clarke's Childhood's End is a classic which has a similar theme.
I was certain that this was going to be a link to We by Zamyatin on Amazon.
woosh...
$12.99 for a digital edition of a book that costs $10.88 in paperback, qualifies for free shipping, and whose author has been dead for 40 years?
>Goods aren't priced according to how much the actual raw materials cost
Actually, they're priced in a way that maximizes profit.
>Why should the e-book be cheaper than the paperback?
Because the lower price point of decreased operating cost would reach a larger customer base and achieve a tipping point more quickly.
The publishers already know this. They're price gouging at the moment simply because they can. Once a few big players start their price wars, we'll see everyone forced to actually compete.
None of the big publishers are fully committed to competition in that segment yet, since it accounts for less than 10% of the total book market, and it's growing at a haphazard pace.
All of us want a bigger literary market. All of us want more people to buy more books, and spend more time reading. Prices for all sorts of other media have plummeted, except books, which are still $15+ each. A good deal, but its a tough sell when your audience can buy a video game on Steam instead.
Hey! Loved Redwall and the other associated stories when I was growing up. I was an avid fan and owned the first 10ish, but the quality of story went down as more came out. :(
Now the real trick is figuring out what you're asking, so I'll take a few stabs. If there is a specific aspect about Redwall you really want to reflect in your new reads let me know and I'll expand the selection. :)
Like Redwall as in intelligent animals:
Light On Shattered Water:
Human finds himself in an alternate dimension where cats evolved instead of humans. I first read in around 2000, and last read it again this year, still very enjoyable.
The Chanur Saga:
Anthropomorphic cat aliens. Pretty decent adventure, though the tech is a little silly but not bad considering it was written in the 80s.
Watership Down:
Rabbits in England trying to live their life. And adventure type stuff happens. A classic for very good reason.
Like Redwall for epic adventure and battles
Malazan Book of the Fallen:
Epic in every way. Hands down my favorite book series. Never has any other book given such a sense of scale to the world. Everything has a history, and Erikson writes in a way that you want to know more, about it all.
His Majesty's Dragon:
I originally only picked up this book because the summary sounded like a joke. Napoleonic era England, insert dragons as the aerial corps. I brought it with to work, read it on my breaks and lunch, and after getting off at 9pm ended up staying at wprl until 5 am to finish it and the second book in the series.
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin
A classic scifi novel that I've yet to read; it's won both the 1969 Nebula and 1970 Hugo awards.
From Amazon:
> Winter is an Earth-like planet with two major differences: conditions are semi artic even at the warmest time of the year, and the inhabitants are all of the same sex. Tucked away in a remote corner of the universe, they have no knowledge of space travel or of life beyond their own world. And when a strange envoy from space brings news of a vast coalition of planets which they are invited to join, he is met with fear, mistrust and disbelief...'The Left Hand of Darkness' is a groundbreaking work of feminist science fiction, an imaginative masterpiece which poses challenging questions about sexuality, sexism and the organisation of society.
Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven is pretty good.
Alas, Babylon is one of the classic post-apocalyptic scifi novels. As is a "A Canticle for Leibowitz", mentioned above.
EDIT: I just noticed that "Lucifer's Hammer" won the Hugo award, which is a big deal if you didn't already know. Another book that comes to mind that you might like is The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein. Not quite the same genre, but similar, and a real classic as well. And really good!
This isn't a "must read list", but going off your list, I think you would enjoy:
If you are looking for books to expand your literary chops on, I think blackstar9000 made a very good list.
For my recommendations on getting out of your element try these:
The John Ciardi one.
It keeps the original rhyming structure, which must have been really hard to do when translating from Italian to English. It isn't really rigid English like some of the other translations that can make your brain get tired after reading for a while. And most importantly it has notes for each chapter. Dante himself is the main character, and he writes in a bunch of actual people from in and around Italy during his lifetime, so reading the notes really helps understand a lot of the references to people/places/things in the book. I just read the notes before I read each chapter so I knew as I read it what was going on.
The author should read Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
"Most gulls don't bother to learn more than the simplest facts of flight--how to get from shore to food and back again," writes author Richard Bach in this allegory about a unique bird named Jonathan Livingston Seagull. "For most gulls it is not flying that matters, but eating. For this gull, though, it was not eating that mattered, but flight."
On My Shelf:
Nonfiction:
[where there is no doctor] (https://www.amazon.com/Where-There-No-Doctor-Handbook/dp/0942364155)
[where there is no dentist] (https://www.amazon.com/Where-There-Dentist-Murray-Dickson/dp/0942364058/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0942364058&pd_rd_r=P7QG34TNRGWWJ4VG3CES&pd_rd_w=zUT5r&pd_rd_wg=bQSPa&psc=1&refRID=P7QG34TNRGWWJ4VG3CES)
[emergency war surgery] (https://www.amazon.com/Emergency-War-Surgery-Survivalists-Reference-ebook/dp/B007FH3S8C/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492111178&sr=1-1&keywords=war+surgery)
[Seed to Seed, a seed saving book] (https://www.amazon.com/Seed-Growing-Techniques-Vegetable-Gardeners/dp/1882424581/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492111210&sr=1-1&keywords=seed+saving)
[mini farming] (https://www.amazon.com/Mini-Farming-Self-Sufficiency-Brett-Markham/dp/1602399840/ref=pd_sim_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1602399840&pd_rd_r=QYQGAKY6D2PJX21W5DBC&pd_rd_w=ZSjVd&pd_rd_wg=MKw9N&psc=1&refRID=QYQGAKY6D2PJX21W5DBC)
[square foot gardening] (https://www.amazon.com/All-Square-Foot-Gardening-Revolutionary/dp/1591865484/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1591865484&pd_rd_r=NW7HBPKNFJ2J8JYTR22M&pd_rd_w=kMSVD&pd_rd_wg=v6qzT&psc=1&refRID=NW7HBPKNFJ2J8JYTR22M)
[Ball Canning Guide] (https://www.amazon.com/All-Ball-Book-Canning-Preserving/dp/0848746783/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492111296&sr=1-1&keywords=ball+canning)
[Steve Rinella's Big Game] (https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Hunting-Butchering-Cooking/dp/081299406X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492111322&sr=1-1&keywords=rinella+guide)
[Steve Rinella's Small Game] (https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Hunting-Butchering-Cooking/dp/0812987055/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0812987055&pd_rd_r=HSSM813BSWTXN5Q77P1R&pd_rd_w=j1UjP&pd_rd_wg=OWNY6&psc=1&refRID=HSSM813BSWTXN5Q77P1R)
[root cellaring] (https://www.amazon.com/Root-Cellaring-Natural-Storage-Vegetables/dp/0882667033/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492111429&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=root+cellarig)
[country wisdom and know how] (https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Wisdom-Know-How-Everything-Harvest/dp/1579128378/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492111470&sr=1-3&keywords=country+wisdom)
[timberframe construction] (https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Timber-Frame-Craftsmanship-Simplicity/dp/1612126685/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492111553&sr=1-9&keywords=cabin+construction)
[Ham radio -tech] (https://www.amazon.com/ARRL-Ham-Radio-License-Manual/dp/1625950136/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492111593&sr=1-1&keywords=ham+radio)
[ham radio general] (https://www.amazon.com/General-Class-License-Manual-Amateur/dp/1625950306/ref=pd_sim_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1625950306&pd_rd_r=12TE98J0V80PC5Z8PMNJ&pd_rd_w=EfgM9&pd_rd_wg=jqqg2&psc=1&refRID=12TE98J0V80PC5Z8PMNJ)
[The FoxFire Series ] (https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Collection-Anniversary-Editions-Anniversay/dp/B00MRH3RYU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1492879953&sr=8-4&keywords=foxfire)
Also pickup up books on useful skills: raising rabbits, welding, different random construction books.
Fiction:
[Lucifer's Hammer] (https://www.amazon.com/Lucifers-Hammer-Larry-Niven/dp/0449208133/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492880068&sr=1-1&keywords=lucifers+hammer)
[One second After] (https://www.amazon.com/Second-After-John-Matherson-Novel/dp/0765356864/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492880115&sr=1-1&keywords=one+second+after)
[the martian] (https://www.amazon.com/Martian-Andy-Weir/dp/0553418025/ref=pd_sim_14_41?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0553418025&pd_rd_r=D4JHG0ERDKJXA7NYCZHX&pd_rd_w=vAle5&pd_rd_wg=9wBYx&psc=1&refRID=D4JHG0ERDKJXA7NYCZHX)
[the road] (https://www.amazon.com/Road-Cormac-McCarthy/dp/0307387895/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492880272&sr=1-1&keywords=the+road0)
[alas babylon] (https://www.amazon.com/Alas-Babylon-Pat-Frank/dp/0060741872/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492880316&sr=1-10&keywords=babylon)
Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank. Imagine what the people of 1957 thought a nuclear attack might look like. Freaked me out when I read it as a kid.
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
Marco Polo is at the end of his career, describing the many wondrous cities he's seen in his travels to the emperor. With each description, he captures the essential essence of the place. A city whose buildings are remembered like the notes of a song. A city whose past is recorded on the walls and floors. The emperor shows incredibility at the facts of what Marco Polo says, but both of them share an understanding of the underlying truths of his worlds.
Told as a series of one-page descriptions of imaginary cities with the occasional framing scene, this book isn't a novel or collection of short stories, but almost a longer-form version of what Borges set out to do in so many of his shorts.
Animal Farm by George Orwell
sorry man, but you're missing a few things
https://www.amazon.com/Cant-Happen-Here-Signet-Classics/dp/0451465644
>invading countries and maiming civilians
.... that is the GWOT. And the US has claimed the right to invade any country and attack whether the "terrorists" involved attacked US citizens or not (see the attack in Somalia this week for example).
And if you're agreeing that part is bad but you think the spying on US citizens and controlling the media part is dandy then pick up 1984 to see where that leads. It might be a for a "good" reason now, but what about 5 years from now? 10? 20? How will the federal government use those powers when they decide that average US citizens are the terrorists?
All together now:
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Rubicon
Adventures of Tin Tin, Vol. 7
The Gunslinger
We by Yevgeny Zamyatin. This book, along with books by Kafka and Wells is on of the originals that spawned great books like Brave New World, 1984, Anthem, etc.
Alas Babylon, Pat Frank
Alas, Babylon https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060741872/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_ebNOyb0RVVA8F
Lucifers Hammer, Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
Lucifer's Hammer https://www.amazon.com/dp/0449208133/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_QcNOybDZMX7AJ
Edit: The top post has most of my favorites, but these two are missing from the thread.
http://www.amazon.com/Divine-Comedy-Inferno-Purgatorio-Paradiso/dp/0451208633/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458687908&sr=1-2&keywords=inferno+john+ciardi
The whole Shebang for $13, all three books.
Ciardi does lots of annotations, a summary before each Canto, and defintions/annotations at the end of each one. The text is translated to a rhyme scheme and structure similar to the original Italian. I'm not sure of the specifics because I'm not a huge language person, but Ciardi's reputation if you look him up will speak for his skill and commitment. It also has illustrations of the wood carvings done of the books by Gustave Dore.
287 pages for mine (1984 paperback), 320 pages for a 2007 hardcover, 300 pages for a 2012 paperback...
I'm sure there are editions under 200 pages, but it looks like a completely normal fantasy novel on my shelf.
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
>Napoleon himself appeared at the meeting on the following Sunday morning and pronounced a short oration in Boxer's honour. It had not been possible, he said, to bring back their lamented comrade's remains for interment on the farm, but he had ordered a large wreath to be made from the laurels in the farmhouse garden and sent down to be placed on Boxer's grave. And in a few days' time the pigs intended to hold a memorial banquet in Boxer's honour. Napoleon ended his speech with a reminder of Boxer's two favourite maxims, "I will work harder" and "Comrade Napoleon is always right"–maxims, he said, which every animal would do well to adopt as his own.
>On the day appointed for the banquet, a grocer's van drove up from Willingdon and delivered a large wooden crate at the farmhouse. That night there was the sound of uproarious singing, which was followed by what sounded like a violent quarrel and ended at about eleven o'clock with a tremendous crash of glass. No one stirred in the farmhouse before noon on the following day, and the word went round that from somewhere or other the pigs had acquired the money to buy themselves another case of whisky.
Source
The great American composer Aaron Copland wrote a lovely book that may serve as a primer for you. What to Listen For In Music
Well, my favorites are
The Moviegoer
The Road
A Confederacy of Dunces
Rendezvous with Rama
Watchmen
Snow Crash
Slaughterhouse-Five
Cat's Cradle
The Big Sleep
The Maltese Falcon
American Gods
A Clockwork Orange
Preacher
Fahrenheit 451
1984
Akira
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Lolita
Love in the Time of Cholera
Naked Lunch
Animal Farm
The Sandman
At the Mountains of Madness
The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Tales
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Brave New World
We
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
If you haven't read the books I list below, I'll be honest, I'm envious of you because you have an amazing experience that you can unlock for the first time. These are all great, core science-fiction reads.
End Notes
End Note 1: Word of warning: it does great storytelling, epic scope, fascinating science, great battles and conflicts very well; but it isn't very high up on dialogue, emotion-based narrative, that sort of thing--it isn't hard sci-fi per se but it has a bit of that feel; so, although most people love it, once in a while you'll run into a sci-fi fan for whom the series just isn't their cup of tea.
This is going to seem like a really strange choice, but it's coming from another 16 year old. I recommend Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman, as it is one of my absolute favorite books. It may only appeal to him if he likes science or engineering, but it's worth a shot regardless.
In a similar vein to the Chronicles of Narnia, may I recommend The Hobbit/ The Lord of the Rings? Both are great stories that he may like. Although they are not the best written books in terms of writing quality (in my opinion), the Inheritence Cycle by Christopher Paolini might appeal for entertainment value. Perhaps a lesser known author that I greatly enjoy is Megan Whalen Turner, author of The Thief, The Queen of Attolia, and The King of Attolia. I just became aware of this book and have thus never read it, but A Conspiracy of Kings by the same author is bound to be good.
Steering away from fantasy, he may also like science fiction. I recommend any Ray Bradbury. Most of his stories are short, so for someone who doesn't read often they are great. My favorite are the Martian Chronicles, but R is for Rocket is also a good compilation. All of the Artemis Fowl series are recommended as well.
If I think of any more, I will certainly edit this post.
Alas Babylon by Pat Frank
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer (YA)
the dead and the gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer (YA)
(links above go to Amazon.com and are non-referral links)
Santiago by Mike Resnick fits the bill pretty well; it's an abstracted space frontier setting reminiscent of the Old West. Very evocative.
Other than that, you could look at Ursula LeGuin (I'm thinking of The Left Hand of Darkness but she wrote many). And if you haven't yet read it, Foundation is a classic of the genre.
You certainly have a good start. There are a few things in your list that are still in my to read pile. I see a few holes in your collection that I am sure that you will eventually get to reading:
Personally, I prefer Joe Nobody over A. American. Glen Tate's series is good but runs out of steam towards the end. John Grit's first book is rough but the series gets better. I couldn't get past Bradley's first book. I am sure I could list more books but my bookcases aren't very organized at the moment.
I would also highly recommend that you branch out into dystopias. There is a lot of shared space with apocalyptic fiction. There is a lot to be learned from 1984, Brave New World, It Can't Happen Here, Wool (series) and The Iron Heel.
Here's one that I hold in as high esteem as Jacobs, Mumford, and any other typical "must read" for planning, despite being magical-realist fiction: Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino.
Framed by the story of Marco Polo telling Kubla Kahn of his travels, he describes 55 cities each in their own prose poem, sometimes just a paragraph long. He imagines cities where all connections between people are represented by physical strings; traveling cities; cities that never stop building, etc. etc.
Much like Jane Jacobs, it brings a human element to something that is often studied from a technical lens. It will inspire passion and imagination, and will offer a very unique perspective to some urban planning ideas. Don't let the short length fool you - it is very dense, and should be absorbed slowly.
[Robin Hard translation] (https://www.amazon.com/Discourses-Fragments-Handbook-Oxford-Classics/dp/0199595186).
Remember what it's up to you and what it's not. Consider that you are not your body, your possessions or your fame. You are what nature has gifted you: Your Reason. This is the only thing that makes you different from a lion with a broken leg that cannot hunt more and may die of starvation.
My cousin was a pro football player, and he had 3 broken meniscus surgeries in 2 years, that forced him to ultimately leave the sport. Now he has become a really outstanding indoor cycling reference in my country. By the way, in the past, he was really trying so hard to be a great football player, but from my point of view, he has been always pretty mediocre at that sport and with a really poor fit body. Now he is extremely fit, and I see him flourishing, motivating a lot of people to do their fitness routines.
That injury changed his life to better and not because of the injury: Just because of his decisions after the injury.
But it could have also changed his life to worse, and whatever that could have happened was not under his control.
The best part is that you own your own prohairesis (your will, your power of decision). Anyone cares if you decide to be depressive with what the Universe has offered you, or if you decide to channel your effort to new paradigms.
This is not a self-help guide. Until you can't recognize what it's up to you and what's not, you won't be able to start making a change in your life in genera. This is not a single advice to make you feel better (or worse). It's a radical alert to start re-thinking how is your friendship and relationship with the Cosmos. It's hard, and this is why Stoicism designed a set of exercise to muscle up your mind:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/wiki/faq#wiki_what_are_some_stoic_practices_and_exercises.3F
And please, make yourself a favor, and read Epictetus Discourses
https://www.amazon.com/Discourses-Fragments-Handbook-Oxford-Classics/dp/0199595186
It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Every violent socialist/communist Revolution will end up in a authoritarian Dictatorship, because the people that led the troops, the most brutal ones in the revolution will never give up their new power and their opposition can't stop them because they command the army.
Edit: People need to read animal farm, here for the lazy ones: https://www.amazon.com/Animal-Farm-George-Orwell/dp/0451526341.
Read 1984.. they've used it as a manual instead of as a warning.
For that particular class, I believe the assigned reading was:
>* Wastelands - John Joseph Adams
I also took a class on dystopian literature, which included:
>* The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
Others I could recommend:
>* Lost Horizon - James Hilton
Arthur C. Clarke - Rendezvous with Rama
This is my go-to recommendation. True science fiction without being too overwhelming.
I want to have a Rendezvous with Rama. :D
Don't get me wrong, I think the Christmas Truce is one of the most hauntingly beautiful things in the history of mankind (but then I'm European, and we're kind of emotional about that bit of WWI), but the way I think about The Great War is this poem by 2nd Lt. (or should that be Mr. (I'm not sure which he'd prefer)) Wilfred Owen, and this novel by Erich Maria Remarque, which both show just how disasterous the war was to the people (and others like them) who were out there, playing football on no-man's land during the christmas truce.
EDITed formatting (wasn't sure what to escape initially, so escaped superfluously)
edited again to add In Flanders Fields by John McCrae.
and again to add Arms and the Boy by Wilfred Owen (above).
The Bible has become his favourite book since he started campaigning, before that his default was All Quiet on the Western Front
There was also some chatter from his ex-wife early on about Hitler's speeches.
> Donald Trump is not much of a reader, despite having written The Art of the Deal, “the number 1 selling business book of all time.” Asked by Megyn Kelly what his favorite book is besides The Art of the Deal, Trump chose All Quiet on the Western Front. (Not sure what happened to the Bible!) Kelly, perhaps sensing that Trump may not have read a book since sixth grade, asked him to name the last book he read. “I read passages, I read areas, chapters, I don’t have the time,” Trump said. “When was the last time I watched a baseball game? I’m watching you all the time.”
Then again there's also the theory that Trump is actually illiterate, not a proponent of this particular theory, though I do question his obvious lack of a large vocabulary.
Just in case Turkish helps anyway:
http://www.idefix.com/kitap/ilahi-komedya-cehennem-araf-cennet-3-cilt-takim-dante-alighieri/tanim.asp?sid=N7RM4ES0DL1ETQHE4P65
For English, I'm told this is very good:
http://www.amazon.com/Divine-Comedy-Inferno-Purgatorio-Paradiso/dp/0451208633
>As Robert Reich observed in Newsweek, this is one of the ways Trump disseminates propaganda (such as insisting that he won in a landslide). One can easily imagine him telling his crowds that the CIA is plotting against him or that authoritarian policies are necessary to fight whatever enemies he decides are keeping America from being great again.
This reads straight out of It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis. Mind you it is a work of fiction before the rise of the Third Reich occurred, but there are so many similarities to this book and how Trump is operating.
The genre is somewhat over-done:
Watership Down: A Novel
https://www.amazon.com/Watership-Down-Novel-Richard-Adams/dp/0743277708
Pat the Bunny (Touch and Feel Book)
https://www.amazon.com/Pat-Bunny-Touch-Feel-Book/dp/0307120007
The Tale of The Flopsy Bunnies
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tale_of_the_Flopsy_Bunnies
You've likely read most of these, but here are a few suggestions:
I can recommend others if you've already hit all of those already.
https://www.amazon.com/Jonathan-Livingston-Seagull-Richard-Bach/dp/0743278909
There's a reason why Alas Babylon was one of my favorite books going to high school in this state.
>...create a fantasy world in which a character is perfectly happy, without any conflicts ... But that would be a very boring book.
You know, I hear this all the time- that stories require conflict- but I'm not sure I agree.
Take a look at something like Invisible Cities, Changing Planes, or Imaginary Magnitude. They're all more descriptions of fictional worlds than traditional narratives, but they still make for extremely good reading, despite having no central conflicts.
In the same vein, I enjoy reading the setting descriptions in tabletop rpg sourcebooks, as well as worldbuilding projects like the SCP Foundation or Orion's Arm, and things like this.
So, if worldbuilding alone can provide enjoyment, then what's to say that worldbuilding in more traditional narratives has to be in service to something else?
I am an architect. I gained my Bachelors from UNM and masters from Rice. I largely focus on theoretical works that incorporate computation and digital fabrication.
I personally think The Fountainhead is a joke. There is nothing in that book that relates to anything truly in Architecture other than using the profession as a tool for her to present her personally skewed views on things. Could have been about a plumber.
If there is a "religious experience" it is in throwing yourself into what you love. But I can't imagine someone stuck detailing windows on four story double loaded corridor apartment buildings having a religious experience...unless it is some sort of pittance.
I would do a lot more investigating into the field. There are many corners of the profession that are all interesting and unique. I would start by visiting some local schools if you happen to be near any. You may be able to have a visit and get a sense of the student commitment and time consumption. Post charette can be a good time to visit and see the chaos in its resultant form and watching students present on little to no sleep.
If Ayn Rand is what is motivating you to get into architecture I would recommend you instead turn to something like, The Atlas of Novel Tectonics and Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities as more appropriate places to begin to understand Architecture from within...at least in its generalized contemporary form.
Atlas of Novel Tectonics
http://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Novel-Tectonics-Jesse-Reiser/dp/1568985541
Invisible Cities
http://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Cities-Italo-Calvino/dp/0156453800
If these things make you hungrier...keep feeding the investigation.
For Epictetus, may I recommend the Robin Hard translation. It's by far the best IMO.
Arthur C. Clarke's Childhoods End is about god-like aliens creating a utopia on Earth. It's also one of my favorite sci-fi novels.
Arthur C. Clarke - Childhood's End
I'm about to start reading a book called "We" https://www.amazon.com/We-Yevgeny-Zamyatin/dp/0380633132 which was banned in the Soviet Union for obvious reasons. I think it may have been the first of these types of dystopian novels.
Oh man, I remember the night in high school when I decided to start Rendezvous with Rama before going to bed and ended up pulling an all-nighter to finish it. Also be sure to heed the advice of babycheeses and skip the sequels.
While we're on the subject of Clarke it would be remiss of me not to mention Childhood's End. Another alien encounter book but equally worthwhile. The ending is one of the few that have given me chills.
Edit: The other book with chills-inducing ending was One Hundred Years of Solitude which has been posted already by coupdegrace.
For the 'aliens as humanity's guardians' see Arthur C. Clark's Childhood's End
To more generally answer your question, we shoot aliens first because figuring out cross-species grammar and lexicon does not make for exciting story telling... unless you're a xenolinguist nut.
Re-reading North American Lake Monsters by Nathan Ballingrud because the stories are really, really unique. Not quite your traditional horror collection. Plus, he graduated from UNO & spent some time offshore, so occasionally some So. Louisiana flavor peeks thru his stuff.
I've also just started It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis for obvious reasons. A really prescient read so far that was published in the 30's.
same here. LotR is nice but I'll always love the Hobbit more. BTW, if you haven't already, check out The Annotated Hobbit or any version of the book which contains the original text of the encounter with Gollum. Very cool to see what it was like before Tolkien changed it later to better suit the LotR.
Two more:
Watership Down - http://www.amazon.com/Watership-Down-Novel-Richard-Adams/dp/0743277708
Dragons of Pern series - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonflight
Now, there is sex in that book, but it's extremely brief and not graphic at ALL. It's implied and over. And it's not bad sex. It's the start of a life long pair bond.
Well . . . if you're looking at a book simply as a collection of text, I too have never feared a line of text. What books allow, is a slow building of fear that require quite a bit of character development. I don't read horror novels waiting to be frightened, and truthfully read very little horror. The fear just happens. To be honest, it's a different type of fear - more of an uneasy feeling really. Certainly, a book can't have, what my son calls, "The scary jump out scenes". But if we exchange the term fear with edgy, here are a list of my favorite books with an "Edge":
[The Passage] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Passage-Novel-Book-Trilogy/dp/0345528174)
[The Terror] (http://www.amazon.com/Terror-Novel-Dan-Simmons/dp/0316008079/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404481514&sr=1-1&keywords=terror)
The Stand
Carrion Comfort
Desperation
I am Legend
The Sparrow
Night
Frankenstein
All Quite on the Western Front
Hunger
Blood Meridian
Watchers
The Minus Man
In no particular order - Not the usual suggestions either. Hope it helps, and happy reading!
Came to recommend Three Day Road but u/ironfunk67 beat me to it.
I will instead stick to my other suggestion, which is the quintessential and best WW1 novel in my opinion - All Quiet on the Western Front by Remarque.
You might also want to try Johnny Got his Gun by Trumbo
I just finished the English translation of All Quiet On The Western Front and it was a great read. Really fascinating and harrowing. The version was: https://www.amazon.com/Quiet-Western-Front-Erich-Remarque/dp/0449213943
Haven't read the French version to compare unfortunately!
Edit: After looking up translations for The Brothers Karamazov an interesting point has cropped up. A big part of understanding the translation can be your familiarity with the source language. An example of this is "Pevear/Volokhonsky" being more true to the original text in the Russian language, however more difficult to read if you aren't familiar with the Russian way of speaking. McDuff is more suitable to someone who is less familiar with Russian.
This was also true for AQOTWF - I live in Germany and speak German, so the sentence structure which was at times very abrupt/blunt (I believe following the descriptive nature of the German language) was perfectly normal to me.
Consider the same when looking at the source language and translator - staying "true" to the text may mean the book is more difficult to read and understand if you are not familiar with the source language.
Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills by Charles Henderson.
F.N.G. by Donald Bodey
[All Quiet on the Western Front] ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0449213943?pc_redir=1413280394&robot_redir=1) by Erich Maria Remarque
Quite a few books have been referenced in interviews - here's some of the ones I think I remember. They're all very good books despite any association with Radiohead, by the way.
How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found
http://www.amazon.com/How-Disappear-Completely-Never-Found/dp/087947257X
The Crying of Lot 49 (also V. and Gravity's Rainbow)
http://www.amazon.com/Crying-Lot-Perennial-Fiction-Library/dp/006091307X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411238673&sr=1-1&keywords=crying+of+lot+49
1984
http://www.amazon.com/1984-Signet-Classics-George-Orwell/dp/0451524934/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411238702&sr=1-1&keywords=1984
The Hitchhiker Guide
http://www.amazon.com/Hitchhikers-Guide-Galaxy-Douglas-Adams/dp/0345391802/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411238721&sr=1-2&keywords=hithchiker%27s+guide+to+the+galaxy
The Divine Comedy
http://www.amazon.com/Divine-Comedy-Inferno-Purgatorio-Paradiso/dp/0451208633
No Logo
http://www.amazon.com/No-Logo-Anniversary-Edition-Introduction/dp/0312429274
Brave New World
http://www.amazon.com/Brave-New-World-Aldous-Huxley/dp/0060850523
Cat's Cradle
http://www.amazon.com/Cats-Cradle-Novel-Kurt-Vonnegut/dp/038533348X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411239309&sr=1-1&keywords=cat%27s+cradle
Stanley Donwood
http://www.amazon.com/Slowly-Downward-Collection-Miserable-Stories/dp/0954417739/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411239324&sr=1-2&keywords=slowly+downward
http://www.amazon.com/Household-Worms-Richard-Jones/dp/1906477558/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=088RY3YE1BENWJPAV5DY
Nothing is True and Everything is Possible which is about Russian society after almost two decades of Putin's rule.
The Warmth of Other Suns and Hillbilly Elegy because, in my opinion, they describe the past in way that informs the present social strife that Trump used to divide and conquer to win the Republican primary and general elections. If the Left is going to have a political answer in 2 and 4yrs for the people who either declined to vote altogether or who voted Trump, we have to understand and have compassion for their plight.
Hell's Angels because of Thompson's pinpointed description of the "politics of revenge". And also his book Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 has some parallels to the 2016 election.
It Can't Happen Here is in the same realm as 1984.
Yea, it seems like nobody takes protests seriously unless you're willing to become violent. Ghandi actually felt it the Jews in WW2 should have protested by walking into the ovens. Fascists are willing to kill, giving them an instant advantage over their nonviolent adversaries. The whole "their evil but they wouldn't actually black bag me and send me to a camp" mentality. Several excellent books have covered this trend in fascist uprisings.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0226511928/ref=pd_aw_sim_14_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=NMB493XQXAH9GFM2Z16F
https://www.amazon.com/Cant-Happen-Here-Signet-Classics/dp/0451465644
> Fiction is just a mirror of reality for the most part. Many things that happen in fiction don’t even happen here. But as far as pain and sadness. Joy and love, life and death, it’s all real here. Here it’s real. - Lucian Bane
Fiction that mirrors reality and challenges the reader is more of what we need, the books i listed below have shaped my view of the world in a very thought-provoking way.
Other stuff out there, the pop-fiction, the garbage or crack cocaine for the brain is as bad as TV. Hollywood panders to the masses. Did you know Hollywood usually has two different versions for films released in America and Europe? Yep, that's right - Hollywood dumbs down movies for American audiences. Everything in media these days is centered around comic books and video games - the modern day opiates of the masses.
Some notable fiction that should be required reading:
Isn't it nice to still be able to use technology from 1953?
I couldn't help noticing the 1954 cover's price of 35 cents.. compared to $10.85 today. A striking little example of inflation.
This hardcover edition is really nice. If the ~$30 price tag is to high then I would go with this one. There is also an annotated edition which includes a lot of additional information in it.
The 50th anniversary editions (paperback or hardback) are very good choices, with the best text available; there's also a recent "deluxe" edition in a semi-paperback that's a good value.
What you're looking for is the 50th Anniversary edition. It's considered to be the most complete and most correct.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0618640150/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?qid=1420489485&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70
I use this one as my main reading copy. The binding on my copy is good, and despite its size it's pretty easy to read.
The Hobbit (a book everyone should read at some point) by Tolkein.
All Creatures Great and Small, by James Herriott.
Oliver Twist by Dickens.
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
The Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett.
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
Ich lese momentan kaum deutsche Bücher, aber in der Hinsicht identifiziere ich mich als Verehrer von Schiller, Hesse und Max Frisch. Blogs verfolge ich keine regelmäßig.
Das Buch des letzten Jahres: Moby Dick
Ehrenhafte Vermerkung: The Reluctant Fundamentalist von Mohsin Hamid
Als nächstes auf der Liste: Watership Down vom kürzlich verstorbenen Richard Adams. Hat da jemand Erfahrungen?
Watership Down by Richard Adams. I have a tattoo on my body because of this book. How is that for some nerd shit!
I always thought "at least it is better than standard christian heaven." The idea of sitting around doing nothing by worshiping Jesus for eternity sounded awful.
I was always intrigued by the story of Jonathan Livingston Seagull. It is a strange tale, but an interesting twist on reincarnation and life's meaning. Since reading it in elementary school, I always thought it more interesting than Mormon Heaven
Wind, Sand and Stars - Antoine de Saint-Exupery
http://www.amazon.com/Wind-Sand-Stars-Antoine-Saint-Exupery/dp/0156027496
Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Richard Bach
http://www.amazon.com/Jonathan-Livingston-Seagull-Richard-Bach/dp/0743278909
These are books which I have read twice or more and would read again and again on the topic of post-collapse:
Alas Babylon
On the Beach
The Postman - not like the movie with Kevin Costner (just based upon and quite different)
One Second After - currently the most realistic and scariest of the bunch I think.
Earth Abides
Lucifer's Hammer - this one I wouldn't read without many years between as the start is sooooo slow but the second half is good.
I do, I keep 100 years of solitude by Gabriel García Márquez in my glove box. I've read it 3 times.
100 Years of Solitude
So far:
I believe that's it, currently I'm reading All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy as well as Alphabet Juice by Roy Blount Jr.
On the Road, because its about living in the moment or whatnot. Written in one sitting. One continous stream of consciousness covering a life of impulse and adventure.
Be Here Now, because its about living the moment, LSD, the mystical aspects of meditation and whatnot..
and most importantly... Stalking The Wild Pendulum
I cant tell you how much that last book did for me. Please please, even if it sounds remotely interesting look into it
Not sure if these meet your criteria, but they might be close:
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino.
The Islanders by Christopher Priest.
They're both great for their clarity, conciseness, and more modern use of language. I personally think Robin Hard's version flows a bit better, but they're pretty much interchangeable, and for some passages I prefer the Hays translation.
Edit: Robin Hard also has a great translation of Epictetus' Discourses, Fragments, and Handbook (Enchiridion).
Reminds me of We by Yevgeny Zamyatin (1921)
*Ursula Le Guin
Left Hand of Darkness takes a prescient look at gender questions.
https://www.amazon.com/Left-Hand-Darkness-Ursula-Guin/dp/0441478123/
I read Alas Babylon in a plane from Atlanta to Seattle.
http://www.amazon.com/Alas-Babylon-Pat-Frank/dp/0060741872/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411747252&sr=8-1&keywords=alas+babylon
This is one of the classics in that genre...
Alas, Babylon
On that page, they have a lot of other books like it, maybe you'll find yours there. Good luck!
How about Alas, Babylon - but that's a bit dated, it takes place in 1960. More up-to-date would be A Distant Eden, taking place in modern day, and dealing with an EMP event that sets civilization back to a 19th century level of technology with pretty awful results.
One Hundred Years of Solitude, which the New York Times called "the first piece of literature since the Book of Genesis that should be required reading for the entire human race."
Also it won Marquez the Nobel Prize in 1982.
Paperback.
Goodreads.
Wikipedia.
There is no official eBook version.
First, let me compliment you on a fascinating list. There are some truly great books in there. I'm both impressed and delighted. Based on your choices, I would recommend the following.
Catch-22 by Joseph Hellar. Even more so than Slaughterhouse-Five, this is the quintessential anti-war novel. A hugely influential 20th century masterpiece. And laugh-out-loud funny in parts too!
The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes is a deserved winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Engrossing, erudite, insightful and educational narrative history of this hugely important event in 20th century history - reads like a novel. Covers not only the Allies, but also the German and (very often overlooked) Japanese side to the story.
Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra, just because of its sweeping scope. Very entertaining modern novel set in India. Touches upon topics and themes as diverse as modern Indian organized crime, international terrorism, Bollywood, the 1948 Partition, Maoist rebels, the caste system, corruption in Indian film, police and government... the list goes on and on. Great fun, and eye-opening.
A Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Marcia Marquez. Whilst not the original "magic realism" novel (despite what Marquez himself my imply), this is the first one to gain international acclaim and is a very influential work. Entertaining in so many ways. Follow the history of the fictional town of Maconda for a hundred years and the lives (the crazy, multifaceted lives) of its inhabitants.
Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. This is a play, not a novel, and one translated from the French at that. Don't let that put you off. Existentialism has never been so interesting...
The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins. His latest tour-de-force.
Manufacturing Consent by Noam Chomsky. Dare I say that this expose on how Government and Big Business control public debate and the media is so important, was more influential than Chomsky's review of Skinner's verbal behaviour? Perhaps not. But a very important work none-the-less.
At the end they talked about magical realism lit and didn't offer any titles that I heard. If you are interested in pursuing that this book might interest you (and when I say it might interest you I would like to imply this book completely blew my mind maybe more than any other book I ever read):
One Hundred Years of Solitude; Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Coming in to weight in on "Blood Meridian", it's my second book by Cormac McCarthy (after The Road) and it is simply astounding. One of the best books I've read in a long time.
I've also heard great things about Shantaram.
If you're going for the long run, I would also suggest "A Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It's a classic, not particularly in line with what you've quoted but it's absolutely brilliant with a profusion of characters and an intricate story arc that would make it one of the better books for a long stretch of time alone.
One Hundred Years of Solitude
As cliché as it sounds, you can't go wrong with Jack Kerouac's On The Road.
Try On The Road by Jack Kerouac (if you haven't read it already) and perhaps even Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. When I read that it really introduced me to the counter-culture movement.
Both! I read it myself and enjoyed it. Reading your post reminded me of the book and thought you might enjoy it as well:)
Off the top of my head, I'd recommend "Einstein's Dreams," by Alan Lightman. You may also like Italo Calvino's "Invisible Cities" and "If on a winter's night a traveler."
Here is what I have been reading lately. How about you?
The Malay House: Rediscovering Malaysia's Indigenous Shelter System
The Designer's Eye
Invisible Cities
A Place of My Own: The Architecture of Daydreams
Stardust
I personally recommend this edition of Epictetus's writings as it includes the Enchiridion (manual) as well as his Discourses in a very smooth and recent translation. While I can't claim that Epictetus is the single definitive comprehensive source of Stoicism, his writings are certainly canonical.
Read this: http://www.amazon.com/Childhoods-End-Arthur-C-Clarke/dp/0345347951
You should read Childhood's End. The basic premise of the book is that aliens make contact with humanity, however they have to take a couple decades or so to get everyone on the planet educated before they feel comfortable revealing themselves (makes sense, since the majority of our global culture is simple and uneducated, an alien presence would possibly scare the piss out of them). Anyway, a global communications network and global currency are certainly 2 ways to advance our global race into the future.
http://www.amazon.com/Childhoods-End-Arthur-C-Clarke/dp/0345347951/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405510800&sr=8-1&keywords=Childhood%27s+End
TLDR; Satoshi Nakamoto is an alien who is furthering humanity for eventual contact.
I don't know if this counts as a novella, but I remember really enjoying reading "We" (http://www.amazon.com/We-Yevgeny-Zamyatin/dp/0380633132) when I was younger.
How about We by Yevgeny Zamyatin (Wikipedia entry, Amazon link Hey, now that I look at it, that's the same copy I have!)? Dystopian future book, written by a Russian in Russia, right around the time Stalin was consolidating his power (It got him exiled. Twice! Well, it was a factor at least). Also around that time was when we were first really trying to study the brain and how it worked, so there's some cool influences from that as well.
I'd really recommend it.
We by Yevgeny Zamyatin is about future totalitarian society. It was written in Soviet Russia in the 1920's (where it was quickly banned) and inspired George Orwell to write 1984.
We by Yevgeny Zamyatin (1921)
If you haven't already read it, you could pick up The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin. It's topical for your experiment because it explores gender, or rather its lack. It's also fairly short and brilliantly written.
I'm surprised no one has brought it up yet, but I'm gonna throw my hat in the ring for Ursula K. Le Guin and the Earthsea Quartet. Le Guin is a master of writing character-driven fantasy with a focused message that extends beyond the worlds she creates, though those worlds are fascinating in their own right.
I think the best way to express how impactful her writing has been in my life is with a part of the introduction to The Left Hand of Darkness, wherein she discusses just why she writes fiction:
> A metaphor for what?
> If I could have said it non-metaphorically, I would not have written all these words, this novel; and Genly Ai would never have sat down at my desk and used up my ink and typewriter ribbon in informing me, and you, rather solemnly, that the truth is a matter of the imagination.
https://www.amazon.com/Quiet-Western-Front-Erich-Remarque/dp/0449213943/
Edit: Seriously, if you haven't read this, you must. Best war book (and one of the best books in general) ever written. It's graphic and disturbing, but does a better job of projecting the horror of WW1 combat than anything else I've watched/read. And the author's musings on war in general are thought provoking (the protagonist is fictional, but based on the author's experiences as a WW1 vet...he saw the worst of the worst).
Having read a few, I've enjoyed the Robert & Jean Hollander version the most. It's very readable and quite poetic, making it a great first version.
Unfortunately, as far as I know, with the Hollanders you have to buy each book of The Divine Comedy separately, and it can get pricy. For a good edition in one volume, with the added bonus of being a "terza rima" version, I would recommend the John Ciardi translation.
Amazon!
This is the translation I have. Reviews seem to say it is accesible, maybe it is time I give it another go?
> So we should wage war against everyone who has bad ideas?
If that bad idea involves the systematic murder of 6 million Jews, then yes, I'd say we should try and stop them, forcefully if necessary
> And how would one tell the difference between nazis and non-nazis?
You just need to know the signs to look for. If you want to learn more about them, I'd suggest reading Anatomy of Fascism or The Origins of Totalitarianism, both of which give you a good understanding of how to identify actual fascism. Also, while I'm linking to Amazon, I'd also like to recommend It Can't Happen Here, which is a novel written in the 1930s about how the rise in Fascism would look in America
It can't happen here...
>It can't happen here
Funny you should mention this. There was a book written about this very subject in the 30s. Pretty scary. Written by Sinclair Lewis, It Can't Happen Here is a cautionary tale about the fragility of democracy, it is an alarming, eerily timeless look at how fascism could take hold in America.
https://www.amazon.com/Animal-farm-Fairy-George-Orwell/dp/0451526341
The Catcher in the Rye is a pretty good gateway book for more literary fiction.
1984 and Animal Farm will probably appeal to your SF tendencies.
If you want something more contemporary, maybe try The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. It has to do with comic books...
What about something like Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury or Animal Farm by George Orwell?
Hey dumbass! I said "MORE equal" it's from Animal Farm, by George Orwell? It's a book, you might try reading one once in a while. They're usually identified by a bunch of paper with words on them bound together. It's a line that says "All animals are equal" and then was later altered in the book to say "All animals are equal, but some are MORE equal than others" I quoted that to illustrate a terrifying view that you have. Yes, obviously I'm not the president, obviously i'm not running, but as a CITIZEN I have ALL the same rights as her. She has had government jobs yes, and as such gets protection (by men with guns) to keep her safe. But her status as CITIZENS we are no different.
http://www.amazon.com/Animal-Farm-Anniversary-George-Orwell/dp/0451526341/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451949376&sr=8-1&keywords=animal+farm
here you go, pick yourself up a copy, it's cheap enough.
Let's break it down. Woman says guns don't keep people safe. She's surrounded by people with guns keeping her safe. It's pretty simple. Obviously their only role isn't a deterrent, but it's the first line of defense, some guy with a knife isn't going to try and stab her when she's surrounded by this security detail. Obviously they're more than capable of responding with force.
"Absolutely she is not equal." that is why i say you would support a dictator if they were aligned with your views. Because that's a view of dictators. Thats the kind of thinking that allows the massacre of entire peoples. You call me a lunatic, when I'm the one advocating for equal rights, and you're flat out saying important people don't need to be equal.
No, in the event someone breaks into my house, I will perceive them as a threat, and yeah, I will shoot if they are not fleeing. Also, shooting does not equal killing. You can kill someone by shooting, no shit, but there's such a thing as incapacitate. That doesn't mean I want to shoot and kill someone. I am not some lunatic going out hunting people who gets a chubby at the thought of taking a human life. Chances are, i will never HAVE to shoot somebody and that is a good thing. BUT the government has no right prohibit me from protecting myself in my home as I see necessary. I've only been an advocate for the second amendment, which apparently is enough to label me as a lunatic.
Apparently, someone knowing their rights, and using critical thinking to realize big daddy government won't always be there in time to help is a lunatic as well.
I live in a fictitious world inside my head? Why's that? Because I think it's hypocrisy to say what this woman said while she is protected by guns? We both agree those armed guards are keeping her safe. We both agree that running for presidential office can make you a target. So if guns don't keep people safe like she says, WHY DOES THE GOVERNMENT GIVE HER ARMED GUARDS? They obviously don't keep her safe right? you seriously can't see any form of hypocrisy there? No one can be that thick.
You're the type of person that thinks that if a persons life is at risk such as getting stuck in a shooting, that they should just accept their fate. You're the type of person who thinks that if a woman is getting raped, she should just let it happen because she might kill the asshole in self defense. We wouldn't want those type of people with guns now would we? /s
Since you're argument has deteriorated to not understanding the irony of the "Some people are more equal than others" (honestly man, thats really simple to understand) and to throwing half assed insults my way with no real discussion on your part. That's the end of this.
Piss off.
And honestly, read a book. You might find it could help you pull your head out from your ass.
.. or you can check at the source -- from a renowned composer: https://www.amazon.com/What-Listen-Music-Signet-Classics/dp/0451531760
> How much of a place do you think theory has in the composition of (I'm hesitant to use this term, but...) popular music? I've met very skilled and successful guitarists that could not, for the life of them, tell you what a "major pentatonic" was, but were very capable of playing in groups of people, improvising complex riffs, and composing great pieces of music.
I think that there are plenty of spectacular musicians who have no grasp of theory and the like (see: Jimi Hendrix), but there are plenty who have enhanced their music incredibly through its use (see: Muse, Radiohead). I don't think that theory is necessary in the slightest for a successful or talented musician, but it can't hurt. Some of the greatest improvisers of the past century may not have been great theorists, but they learned from people who learned from people who were theorists. Prime example: Duane Allman, in my opinion one of the greatest guitarists of the century, learned a great deal from John Coltrane, who, through his studies in bebop and avant garde classical music, learned a great deal about advanced musical techniques.
Short answer? It has a place, in my opinion, but isn't at all necessary.
>Somewhat related: If you had one book to recommend on theory, composition, and history, what would it be?
One book... wow, that's hard. If you're looking for a classical music intro, then there's not much better than Aaron Copland's small little volume What to Listen For in Music. It's only 8 bucks, and is a great intro to a lot of the fundamentals of theory, composers, a bit of history... hell, I'll send you my copy if you PM me.
>Somewhat unrelated (maybe): I am a really big fan of the "discordant" sound that you hear in bands like Deerhoof ( [1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBiKE0x4IPo -- Ignore the video), however, I've been unsuccessful in trying to create similar sounds. How do they do that thing where they make it sound like they're playing the "right wrong notes"? (Hopefully I communicated this successfully...)
I can't say I'm familiar with that particular band, but what they're doing in the song you posted is playing a repeated patten and then shifting the whole thing one half step (fret) up/down. So, it always sounds like the same pattern, but with some variety. If you're going for that effect, find a pattern you like and see what you can do by shifting it up/down, starting it on a different string, etc.
Same concept here, John Coltrane, using the same 4-note pattern, starting on a different note each time. Sounds like the wrong right notes, right? I think that's what you're going for.
If you want to talk more about this, I'd be happy to. As for now, I hope that helps!
Geared more towards the music side of your question, I'd recommend Aaron Copland's What to Listen for in Music. Great little summary of how to approach music from an untrained listener's perspective. Accessible to non-musicians in his writing style and theory, as well as very broad so as to be applied to almost any kind of music. Just bear in mind it was written in the 50s.
I'm sure most libraries would have a copy.
It sounds like you want to be better at two things. First music theory, second criticism.
I'm not super knowledgeable with music theory, but my first stop would be What To Listen For In Music by Aaron Copland.
What to Listen for in Music (Signet Classics) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0451531760/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_aVIqzbTVJ8Y32
You can also search Amazon or Powell's for music theory books. Music Theory For Dummies seems like a decent starting point, if you don't know where else to go.
If you've got music theory classes nearby, you can sign up for that. They may be available through a university or community college. You may find a private instructor. Check Jazz At Lincoln Center's Jazz Academy YouTube channel for some help.
Criticism is tougher for me. I think the best approach is to read and listen to critics, and see what makes sense. I'd suggest The Onion AV Club, Pitchfork, and AllMusic as general destinations for criticism. Go to Metacritic, look up albums that you know, and read every review. See how other people are responding, and pay attention to the language they use to describe the music.
I'd also recommend the Song Exploder podcast, to give you a sense of how music is actually made. That would give you three ways to look at music (theory, criticism, and production).
What to Listen for in Music by Aaron Copland is a great book for learning how to listen to music more attentively. Also, you can't go wrong with Dorling-Kindersley's Eyewitness Companion to Classical Music. I grew up flipping through that volume - it's a lot of fun to read and is very informative. If your local library has magazine and newspaper subscriptions, they may have a subscription to Gramophone Magazine which is an excellent guide to classical music recordings. If not, their website has a lot of resources for free. There are lots of other great resources listed in this thread, like Adam Neely's youtube channel. It takes a while to build
This is probably the best book for introducing people to classical music. It can be a bit technical but nothing horrible and will give you the terminology to understand the podcast fully.
https://www.amazon.com/What-Listen-Music-Signet-Classics/dp/0451531760
It's a book about music, but it's a classic: What to Listen for in Music by Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland wrote a book just for you, called What to Listen for in music.
All sheet music in the public domain (all music by composers who died more than about 75 years ago) is free at IMSLP.org
Copland's What to listen for in Music was really good, but more geared to the classical novice; still worth the read, nonetheless.
Toch's The Shaping Forces of Music was a serious eye opener for me as a composer. It really out everything I was learning in school into perspective and helped me make sense of the purpose of all that I was being taught.
Rimsky-Korsakov's Principles of Orchestration was a very good book that showed me all the idiosyncrasies of writing for symphony in a very clear manner.
these 3. All 3 are love stories in their own right.
http://www.amazon.com/War-Peace-Penguin-Classics-Tolstoy/dp/0140444173
http://www.amazon.com/Dracula-ebook/dp/B000JQUBRM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318288267&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Nineteen-Eighty-Four-George-Orwell/dp/0452284236/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318288343&sr=1-1
Well according to Tastekid, the only book that comes up for both titles is Nineteen Eighty-Four, but there are many more recommendations listed for The Wanting Seed.
Cheers.
Legacy Inventive new planet and lifeforms.
A Fire Upon the Deep Absolutely epic tale.
Rendezvous with Rama Wonderful story spanning centuries and galaxies.
Rama short film gives an idea of the start of the story.
All of the above are parts of series.
Newer, if I had to guess. It was a library copy (I was just being brief). It was a while ago but I'm pretty sure it's this one; says 2002 in the Amazon details. It was great, it had all sort of details on his early drafts, inspirations, links with names to Norse mythology, alternate Gollumn's riddles chapter, illustrations from Tolkien and various other editions and of course the appendices with family trees and the Erebor bit.
You could check out The Annotated Hobbit. Won't help you for LotR, but it will certainly make The Hobbit more interesting, not that it needs to be! ;)
For The Hobbit, do yourself a favor and grab a copy of The Annotated Hobbit by Doug Anderson! Gives you a decent bio on Tolkien, the backdrop for how The Hobbit came to be, and a running commentary throughout that is pure awesome. A treasure you'll read multiple times guaranteed!
Not sure if anything like it exists for LOTR. If so, I'd love to know!
No true fiasco ever began as a quest for mere adequacy
> My favorite birthday was my 21st because instead of going bar hopping like everyone recommended, my family and I went out to Florida to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We spent the entire day in Diagon Alley and enjoyed a feast there. We started to explore the castle, shops and rides, but the best part was Ollivander.
>
> We waited in line for what felt like hours. It probably felt that long because it was just hot. We finally get into the room, which fits about 20 people or so, and the actor absolutely nails it. They always pick someone from the crowd to have their wand choose their witch or wizard, and it's usually a little kid. He picks the first kid he sees in the crowd and does the skit. Adorable, cute skit with magic everywhere! We're heading out, but Ollivander noticed my sister. He asked if she needed anything, and she said, "No, I don't. However, it's my sister's birthday!"
>
> Ollivander did a fitting with just my family and me in the room. I told him I bought a wand already, but he told me what it was made of, its core and what it was best used for. Since he saw I was wearing some Slytherin colors, he assured me it can be used for "alternate forms of magic, good and evil."
>
> As of right now, nothing can beat that birthday.
If you're just looking for the text, The Annotated Hobbit has the original text at the appropriate point in the story.
It's an [annotated version.] (https://www.amazon.com/Annotated-Hobbit-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0618134700) 399 pages.
The bible itself is split into separate "books". While these aren't physical objects (unless if each is sold seperate lay) they act almost as parts. It's kinda like one of those large compilations of separate books in a series, like this Lord of the Rings one. Some people refer to the bible as one large piece, like the one volume Lord of the Rings edition I linked to above. Others refer to the collection of books, like Genesis, as if you were referring to Lord of the Rings as a trilogy and not one book.
It's mostly just how people want to view the Bible, whether it be one volume that contains many separate "books" or multiple ones, that can be grouped into a series known as the "Bible".
The Hobbit to match my LoTR hardcover box set. Thanks!
There is a book about it actually, it might contain a few spoilers though: Amazon link
Amazon recently sent me a copy of The Hobbit in fucked up condition. If you file a return from your orders page, they'll send you a new copy right away. My replacement came perfect.
You want to feel? Read Watership Down.
You can't handle the feels.
I loved reading as a kid and I still do! It was never a problem for me to meet the reading requirements in elementary school. Here are a few books I enjoyed when younger:
I also had a large number of Berenstain Bears, Dr. Seuss, and Tintin books growing up. I returned to those many times! I'm going to guess that those last two books are a little too advanced for a five year old, but they're still really good reads (eventually).
Get those kids some books!
Watership down I would have to say is a great book! It is the story o a runt rabbit who wants to move away from his warren and start anew, and he encounters trials along the way. The book is around 55 chapters and has an animated movie and tv show series to go with it! Its a really interesting read.
J'ai fini récemment ceci https://www.amazon.com/Self-Comes-Mind-Constructing-Conscious/dp/030747495X et c'est bordel de putain d'intéressant, j'ai appris un demi million de trucs sur le fonctionnement du cerveau.
En ce moment je suis sur ça https://www.amazon.com/Jonathan-Livingston-Seagull-Richard-Bach/dp/0743278909
C'est tout l'opposé en terme de complexité de lecture mais ça n'en est pas moins riche en réflexion.
Go fetch a copy of and read this book ASAP -- most libraries will have a copy, else the local bookstore (or of course Amazon/Kindle) -- trust me, it's the right medicine for what ails you.
That Osho library is indeed incredible. My favorites of his are his talks on the Dhammapada as well as the Discipline of Transcendence, not to mention his jokes!
Regarding opening a book and finding what you need, Richard Bach referred to that possibility in his book Illusions. It's a quick read. He wrote Jonathan Livingston Seagull which you might also enjoy. That first came out in 1970 and I remember my grandfather reading it in the 1970s.
USA also wanted to get rid of north korea completely (that's why they pushed so far north if you remember...). I suggest you to read this before making a complete fool of yourself. And yes war is the most horrible thing on Earth, with slavery maybe... I don't know what's worse.
If you think war is ok, I suggest you to read Im Westen nichts Neues which gives a good insight of the tragedy this is for everyone involved.
War is sometimes necessary to protect ourselves, but war is never ok.
edit : typo
Okay, first of all it would help if you narrow your search down to a specific country, since many different nations employed Cossack riders over time. You have Poland, Lithuania, Imperial Russia, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Belarus, and Ukraine to name name most. However, and correct me if I'm wrong, I believe you are referring to the Russian Cossacks.
​
In that case, or just in general, here are some links:
The History and Origins of the Cossacks
Uniforms
Ranks
​
General Information on a Soldier's Kit:
Britain
Austria-Hungary
Serbia
Canada
Germany
Unites States
Japan
France
Italy
​
​
In general, Wikipedia has a decent amount of information on a soldiers during the Great War (Whether they were fighting for Germany, Britain, America, Russia, Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire, Japan, France, Belgium, Serbia, Romania, Italy, and so on), so just check Wikipedia out. Books-wise, I am a less in touch. I do recommend Storm of Steel and All Quiet on the Western Front (both memoirs of a German Soldier) and Goodbye to All That (Memoirs of a British Soldier). Cheers!
Uhh... well... erm... no. The Inferno is terrific, and the Purgatorio was pretty good, but the Paradisio is nearly unreadable. It seriously took me about 20 minutes to a half hour to read each stanza, and even then they only made sense with the summary and definitions provided in my translation.
I would recommend this translation.
The Ciardi translation is my favorite and presents the Italian and English on facing pages.
https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Comedy-Inferno-Purgatorio-Paradiso/dp/0451208633
I am reading American Sniper (which has a movie adaptation coming out). It is the autobiography of Chris Kyle, a sniper with the most confirmed kills in US Military history (150), he talks about his childhood, and his missions in Iraq. He shots he has had to take, the friends he's lost...
I read and definitely recommend A Brief History of Time: The Updated and Expanded Tenth Anniversary Edition by Stephen Hawkings. As you can tell by the name of the book it talks about the universe, black holes, the possibility of worm holes/white holes. Stephen Hawking really knows how to write a book.
I have yet to get to it, but I recommend The Divine Comedy (written in the 1300s). It is an Epic Poem about Dante Alighieri travels through Hell (Inferno), Purgatory (Purgatorio), and Heaven (Paradiso).
Edit: Does someone hate these books?
Like others have said, this is obviously participation bias. Those who purchase the book are likely to rate it highly.
You can see the exact same thing has happened with Milo's book, Dangerous. It's currently sitting at 4.9 stars from over 2000 reviews, which is just as ridiculous as Hillary's book having 4.8 from over 1,300 reviews.
Milo's book has 4.9/5 stars from 1,657 verified purchases (2,005 total).
Hillary's has 4.8/5 stars from 1,356 verified purchases (1,408 total).
Compare this to The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri sitting at 4.2/5 from 961 verified purchases (1,251 total).
I don't think anyone's saying that either of these books are better written than The Divine Comedy, just that both books are bought by fans of those people, who are likely to rate the books highly afterwards.
John Ciardi's is excellent. That was the translation I had to get for high school and college. Good footnotes and introductions as well as a three line rhyming scheme.
Amazon Link
Would this work? https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0451208633/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&psc=1 Can't find any mention of a summary. Interested in reading all 3
Everyone needs to read Sinclair Lewis' It Can't Happen Here this political cycle.
Germany. I have 50 push-ups riding on each point difference, so I believe~
I need to read.
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Comment (1pts) in AskReddit, "What book fucked you up mentally?", (13 Jul 19):
> Animal Farm
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> they will stop trying to deny it. They're just gonna one day start saying that this is all good. That it's a good thing our leadership is in bed with Russia.
This all sounds very familiar.
Here are some I suggest for you!
1
2
3
4
It is on amazon where you can "look inside". The table of contents gives you a good idea of the scope. There are a bunch of other excerpts in there, so you can get an idea of the writing style.
> About privacy it's simple, why are you so worried if you've got nothing to hide.
It's time for you to read 1984: http://www.amazon.com/Nineteen-Eighty-Four-Centennial-George-Orwell/dp/0452284236/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1370958733&sr=1-2&keywords=1984
Here are some fantasy/sci-fi books that I liked at that age, or would have liked had they been published. A couple of them have some sexual content, but nothing overly detailed.
DEFINITELY "The Dark is Rising" series. They're short, but excellent. Also The Hunger Games is a good bet (never read the sequels, but that first book is great). Other suggestions: The Name of the Wind, Waylander, Rose of the Prophet, 1984, To Your Scattered Bodies Go, The Strain, any of the Dragonlance books (I would start at the beginning, with Dragons of Autumn Twilight), or nearly anything by Stephen King.
Here's some that I recommend:
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. A classic. Deals with censorship, dystopian future society (very similar to our current way of life), criticizes television, etc.
1984 and Animal Farm by George Orwell. Both deal with corrupt government, religion, conformity, etc.
VALIS by Philip K. Dick. A disturbing account of Dick's own struggles with finding a personal God. In fact, I can recommend anything by Philip K. Dick.
And, of course, The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. It's an essential.
Two great books.
If you like fantasy, this is an amazing book -- one of the best I've ever read.
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
This one is quoted a lot (Big Brother is watching) and a great book that I often think about.
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
Pick it up at a library or
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0452284236/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Lots of good suggestions already, I'll just throw out what is probably my all-time favorite sci-fi book:
Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
Ignore the (ghostwritten) sequels though, they're not very interesting.
Rendezvous with Rama and its sequels. The Hyperion series. And Dune and Foundation of course.
Here're the books that I absolutely love and return to from time to time:
There are so many more. OP if you are interested in reading any of these, send me a message. I have extra copies of all of them (and a few others as well) and I'd be more than happy to get them into the right hands.
Enjoy!
It would depend on the skill of the translator, nobody can reasonably make a sweeping statement that all translations are good or bad. Of course the original language is always to be preferred. You can buy a used edition from Amazon sellers for $0.01 + postage & packing.
Sure thing. I first read it in the appendix of The Annotated Hobbit; http://www.amazon.com/Annotated-Hobbit-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0618134700 and I thought I'd share it here
Maybe The Annotated Hobbit? I have it but I haven't gone through the whole thing but there should be some interesting/useful stuff in there.
You could also listen to the Tolkien Professor podcast specifically the "Riddles in the Dark" series. Haven't listened to them myself but it has been recommended to me by a few people.
I'm not sure if this fits your guidelines, as they were pretty vague. The Annotated Hobbit is a great resource. Available on Amazon for $20.
The Annotated Hobbit https://www.amazon.com/dp/0618134700/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_-BJSDbJBKK8FC
This is $17.24!
It's from this version, which it states has the greater index, but you could just as easily call me a liar. ;P
I found this on Amazon. I think it might be the books from the movie.
http://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-50th-Anniversary-Vol/dp/0618640150/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324135867&sr=1-3
>Believe me, I've tried...
http://www.amazon.com/Iliad-Homer/dp/0374529051
http://www.amazon.com/Odyssey-Homer/dp/0374525749/
http://www.amazon.com/Aeneid-Everymans-Library-Virgil/dp/0679413359/
http://www.amazon.com/Tale-Genji-Penguin-Classics-Deluxe/dp/014243714X/
http://www.amazon.com/Three-Kingdoms-Chinese-Translation-Footnotes/dp/0804843937/
http://www.amazon.com/Republic-Plato/dp/0141442433/
http://www.amazon.com/Nicomachean-Ethics-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140449493
http://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-50th-Anniversary-Vol/dp/0618640150/
http://www.amazon.com/Dune-Frank-Herbert/dp/0441172717/
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https://www.coursera.org/
http://playgo.to/iwtg/en/
This is just stuff I came up with off the top of my head. The books alone will keep you busy for at least a couple months if you're a prodigious reader. There's pretty much no way you could possibly finish this entire list before September.
what I'm thinking is more along the lines of: it's always cheaper to buy books in one volume than multiple volumes. for example on amazon I can buy The Lord of the Rings in one volume for $16.00 yet if I buy ONLY Return of the King it costs $8.76 What I'm saying, at the very least, is: If it were broken up into novellas the series as a whole would cost more for you.
I think we can both agree on that. The publisher's profit margins are another story.
I think the best version is by some guy named Tolkien. If you're looking to go a little more traditional, try KJV.
Sorry!
DUNE is dune, its the name of the book.
LOTR = Lord of The Rings
HHGTTG = Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy.
http://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-50th-Anniversary-Vol/dp/0618640150/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1417769703&sr=8-5&keywords=lord+of+the+rings
Like this
The Hobbit
Glad to see you're so excited about it all . . .
Now here's a suggestion as to what to do next . . .
The Talisman-by Stephen King and Peter Straub. The authors then continued the story with a second book called Black House. http://www.amazon.com/The-Talisman-Novel-Stephen-King/dp/145169721X
An amazing fantasy adventure for any age. A good bridge for you as well. Other adventure fantasy type books that I felt were ageless, A Boys life- by Robert McCammon. http://www.amazon.com/Boys-Life-Robert-McCammon/dp/0671743058 Anything and everything Jack London. Read Stephen King short stories then move onto Edgar Allen Poe. To kill a mocking bird- by Harper Lee http://www.amazon.com/To-Kill-Mockingbird-Harper-Lee/dp/0446310786 A Watership Down- By Richard Adams http://www.amazon.com/Watership-Down-Novel-Richard-Adams/dp/0743277708 Of Mice And Men- by John Steinbeck http://www.amazon.com/Of-Mice-Men-John-Steinbeck/dp/0140177396
Then you may want to move on to another type of adventure.
Into the Wild- by Jon Krakauer. http://www.amazon.com/Into-Wild-Jon-Krakauer/dp/0385486804 Every book is a bridge to another and so on. I could name so many more, but each book will lead you to them.
Annnnd here we go again. I'm doing this with all books, just because.
Allegiant
Berenstain Bears
Calvin and Hobbes
Dune
Edgar Allen Poe collection
Fahrenheit 451
Gulliver's Travels
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
If You Give A Mouse A Cookie
Julie of the Wolves
Kite Runner
Little House on the Prairie
Machine of Death
Neverending Story
Omnitopia Dawn (The book I'm reading now, actually!)
Pilgrim's Progress
Quarter Share (Also available free as a podiobook!)
Room
Snow Crash
[Tell-Tale Brain](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_9?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=tell-tale brain&sprefix=tell-tale%2Cstripbooks%2C222&rh=i%3Astripbooks%2Ck%3Atell-tale brain&ajr=2)
Uglies
Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Watership Down
Xenocide
Year Zero
Zen and the Art of Knitting
I mostly read speculative fiction, which is typically divided between the subgenres of fantasy, sci-fi, and alternate history. Alternate history is technically considered a subgenre of Sci-Fi, but I read enough of it to make it worth counting as a separate group. Within each of those subgenres, there is a wide variety of styles and some people might find themselves not a fan of one style but a fan of another. If you are not well read in these genres, then you will want to try a few different styles of story before dismissing it. I also sometimes read novelizations of historical events which have their own sort of enjoyment to them that fictional stories lack. Then there are books that are set from an animals point of view, which range from attempts to be as accurate as possible to being practically fantasy stories.
As far as individual books, I will try to give you a few of the best to pick from without being overwhelming. Some are stand alone stories while others are parts of series.
Fantasy single books:
After the Downfall
Fantasy series:
The Dresden Files
A Song of Ice and Fire aka Game of Thrones
Sci-Fi single books:
Slow Train to Arcturus
Mother of Demons
Sci-Fi series:
The Thrawn Trilogy There are a great many Star Wars books worth the read, but this is definitely the place to start.
Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow
Alternate History single books:
The Guns of the South
1824: The Arkansas War Technically this is a sequel to an earlier book, but this one is leagues better and you don't need to read the first book to understand what is going on.
Alternate History series:
How Few Remain
1632
Worldwar
Non-Fiction:
Band of Brothers
War Made New This one isn't even really a novelization, just an analysis of the changes to military technology, tactics, and training over the last 500 years. Regardless, it is very well written and a great read.
Animal POV books:
Watership Down
Wilderness Champion
The Call of the Wild and White Fang These two books are by the same author and go in pretty much opposite directions. Among literature fanatics, there is no consensus over which one is better and I don't think I can decide for myself so I am recommending both.
Edit: I forgot to mention, the first book in the 1632 series is available online for free. This is not a pirated version, but something the author put up himself as a part of an effort to move publishing into the modern day with technology and make books more accessible to readers.
Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell
gangster in witness protection gets discovered, takes badass revenge
Andromeda Strain or Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
Jurassic park is dinos in a 'modern lost world' scenario and andromeda strain is alien bacteria creating zombie apocalypse without the zombies
Empire of the Ants by Bernard Werber
people get shrunk down and discover the empire of the ants
Watership Down by Richard Adams
animal farm with rabbits and australians
The Lies of Locke Lemora by Scott Lynch
adventure with magic and ocean's 11 style crime. Sometimes funny othertimes adventurous and sometimes badassery
Tunnel in the Sky by Heinlein (very adventure/survival thriller)
kids are getting their survival badges, shit gets real very quickly. Lord of the flies meets firefly
I have a few favorites. These are more really short stories to read in a day rather than a short book.
First Jonathan Livingston Seagull One of my favorite books of all time and it takes an hour or so to read.
Second The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and other short stories
That's what I thought initially, but there is no indication of that whatsoever with any of the sellers. Plus, usually there is a separate category for "collectible."
The book itself is actually kind of a... oh, I don't know, a Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them sort of thing - a book from another book (Illusions: Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah [not religious]). Excellent read, by the way. Same author that wrote the more popular Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
check out Wendal his cat and the progress of man
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendal,_His_Cat,_and_the_Progress_of_Man
you can find it used or new under 10 bucks. great read as a nice "little" book.
I'm also a fan of Johnathan Livingston Seagull - same kind of format, similar kind of mystical tale:
http://www.amazon.com/Jonathan-Livingston-Seagull-Richard-Bach/dp/0743278909/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301457290&sr=1-1
and for a great one to share with a loved one -- Nick Bantock's Griffin and Sabine series is outstanding:
http://www.amazon.com/Griffin-Sabine-Correspondence-Nick-Bantock/dp/0877017883/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301457347&sr=1-1
Read this to them at bedtime:
http://www.amazon.com/Jonathan-Livingston-Seagull-Richard-Bach/dp/0743278909/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1345079584&sr=1-1&keywords=jonathan+livingston+seagull
Also a good resource:
http://www.amazon.com/Parenting-Beyond-Belief-Raising-Religion/dp/0814474268/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345079453&sr=8-1&keywords=raising+secular+children
Obligatory wiki links: Dystopian Literature. Although, some of the titles listed don't seem to fit (The Dispossessed?). Nuclear holocaust fiction, and your general apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction.
Some of the better/more popular ones:
Zombies: World War Z, Raise the Dead, Marvel Zombies, Zombie Survival Guide, Day By Day Armageddon, I Am Legend.
Also, just for kicks, some of my favorite dystopian movies:
Brazil, Soylent Green, 12 Monkeys, Blade Runner, Akira, Children of Men, Dark City, A Boy and His Dog, Logan's Run, Idiocracy, Equillibrium.
Flanagan's Run by Tom McNab. I found it in my grandparents' basement and it's been a favorite of mine ever since. Also, Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank.
Two things, Miguel:
Thing the First: Unless you are comfortable reading Spanish, get the Edith Grossman translation. Spanish scholars say it's the first time an English translation has done it justice. It's drop dead funny. Laughter on every page. I would say the best novel ever written (a close second being Gabriel Garcia Marquez's 100 Years of Solitude - also, coincidentally, translated by Grossman. I bought my son, who is a linguist and a professor in the field, a copy of Marquez. He called me and said, "Dad, this book is the reason language was invented!" - a very beautiful book).
Thing the Second: I'm going away in January (to Mexico) to write a book on eschatology. I already have all the notes and prep work, just have to put it all into nice book form. But, I also have it in MP3 form - which I sell as a set, in conferences, etc.; but if you go to this link, then click on teaching audios, it will allow you to download the six MP3s (about 30-45 minutes of teaching each) for free. Hope they are helpful. By the way - this "get your free MP3s" deal is for all my redditor friends.
I've heard House of Leaves is really bizarre and cool.
My current deck is Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa, Between Legitimacy and Violence: A History of Colombia, 1875-2002, Bitter Fruit: The Story of the American Coup in Guatemala, Blood Meridian, and One Hundred Years of Solitude.
It's a really depressing list.
I read American Gods a couple years ago and hated it enough to not pick up another fiction book for like over a year.
On the Road by Jack Kerouac. Trying to find IT has led to the greatest times of my life.
https://www.amazon.com/Road-Jack-Kerouac/dp/0140283293
I can be. I have a very hard exterior shell, but I'm all mushy inside.
> > > They danced down the streets like dingledodies, and I shambled after as I've been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones that never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awww!
Add this to a list, if you wish, I can't stress enough that I want everyone to read this book.
http://www.amazon.com/On-Road-Jack-Kerouac/dp/0140283293
A couple classics from my personal favorites list come to mind:
hm, well short stories are generally my go to for lighter reading so I'll recommend a few of those.
Always looking to promote Italo Calvino; desert island picks would probably be Invisible Cities and Cosmicomics. The Baron in the Trees, while not resembling the first two in vignette formatting, also bears mentioning as a personal favorite. Calvino does what some derisively refer to as "magical realism" in the most elegant way. The word economy that he can employ in a description to give a character real depth is utterly stunning.
If that's not your jam, Etgar Keret is also fantastic - in addition to being woefully under appreciated in the states. He writes a lot of "sudden fiction," a vaguely campy term for really short short-fiction; it's dark stuff though, sort of like an Israeli Franz Kafka who watched the Simpsons and read Pynchon. Girl on the Fridge and The Bus Driver Who Wanted to be God are excellent collections to start with.
I mention him last because he's probably the most famous but Haruki Murakami is a perennial favorite of mine, The Elephant Vanishes being a lovely collection of short stories. Were I not in this subreddit, I'd forgo mentioning that this is one of the books that lives in my washroom on the toilet tank, but I'm sure my fellow crohnies will understand.
Hope there are a couple suggestions there that are new to you, happy reading.
If anyone else happens to like those short-format thought collection-style books, two other interesting ones that I really like are:
Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
I come back to both of these books repeatedly for creative inspiration, I like them so much. I have yet to read Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives, but from what Grey said, I feel like the two that I mentioned might be a little bit more in-depth and may require a bit more work to understand in some cases.
I've been wanting to start reading Levinas with this introduction.
My favorite book is Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino because with each chapter he constructs such a beautifully foreign world that I get lost in my imagination - which is really what fiction is for, imho.
The Most Beautiful House in the World
Invisible Cities
A couple of books that have sparked ideas and helped me with cities:
I'd highly recommend Oxford University's press version which also includes Discourses and Fragments.
Epictetus and Seneca are the two other big names in stoicism, although I'll cop to not having read either (or Marcus Aurelius - my reading list is seriously backed up).
I’m not 100% confident in my response as I’m trying to recall from memory ... I don’t have my books with me now.
The Enchiridion is just the handbook and really good summary of his Discourses. It is a book on its own. It is included in the Penguin classics addition of Discourses and selected writings: https://www.amazon.com/Discourses-Selected-Writings-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140449469/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=epictitus&qid=1551101547&s=gateway&sr=8-2
I will add too that if you are looking to buy this book, I would suggest you go with the Oxford World Classics edition. Penguin leaves out whole chapters in Discourses, while Oxford has all of them: https://www.amazon.com/Discourses-Fragments-Handbook-Oxford-Classics/dp/0199595186/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=epictitus&qid=1551101610&s=gateway&sr=8-4
The Handbook is basically a summary of the Discourses.
I have read https://www.amazon.com/Discourses-Fragments-Handbook-Oxford-Classics/dp/0199595186, which contains everything by Epictetus (Arrian actually). It's good.
In my opinion it doesn't make much sense to read the Handbook before the Discourses. There are things which may be misunderstood without reading the whole discourse.
Sounds like a small part of Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke. Religions are abandoned as people can go back and see what their prophet's actually did. https://www.amazon.com/Childhoods-End-Arthur-C-Clarke/dp/0345347951/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466190336&sr=8-1&keywords=childhood%27s+end
If need be, I'd recommend buying a copy on Amazon or something. Childhood's end definitely has the same vibe as the 2001 series. You'll love it. I was completely engrossed from beginning to end.
Slant by Greg Bear
Neuromancer by William Gibson
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
Check out the book: We
George Orwell got his inspiration for 1984 from this book. Short read but damn good.
Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:
Amazon Smile Link: We
|Country|Link|
|:-----------|:------------|
|UK|amazon.co.uk|
|Spain|amazon.es|
|France|amazon.fr|
|Germany|amazon.de|
|Japan|amazon.co.jp|
|Canada|amazon.ca|
|Italy|amazon.it|
|China|amazon.cn|
This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting). The thread for feature requests can be found here.
If you liked 1984 you should check out We. Also a dystopian novel, pretty grim, and written a whole 20 years before 1984.
How about sales of We, on which Brave New World is based?
No thanks
http://www.amazon.com/We-Yevgeny-Zamyatin/dp/0380633132
If you like Sci Fi and reading the Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin was the book that helped me most. Very sad but deep and interesting read. It explores a lot of gender issues. http://www.amazon.com/Left-Hand-Darkness-Ursula-Guin/dp/0441478123
The post got removed but I just wanted to reply to this last comment you made in case you come back to see it. What I would advise is just try not to be perfect. Just be yourself. What makes you feel good. It can be anything. Especially related to fashion, the places you hang out, the people you choose to be with.
Please note you didn't really get donwvoted here. You can go off on people in r/rant, r/angry (not anger) or r/offmychest all day. But this sub we really try to dig in and help people with anger management.
We can work ourselves up into an existential crisis over almost anything. Please realize you are not in a worst case scenario and other people don't wake up in the morning intent on ruining your day. So go easy on yourself and on everyone else. Spewing hatred at people will not foster peace. The transgender community is in the spotlight right now and it's basically being treated as the red-headed step-child of the world. So you need to seek out calm people for advice, people who have already been through it and aren't in the throws of figuring out who they are right now. Seek wisdom not opinions.
I used to hang out in punk clubs, gay bars, goth clubs and basically what most people would consider the worst dive bars in town because i was really low but found I could talk to other people who felt like outcasts out there. I didn't have any commonality with most people. But I started seeing people who dressed as weird as humanly possible because it made them feel like they were expressing themselves. It was a circus but it's a beautiful circus to those who appreciate it.
Even physically ugly people find love. We know this for a fact just people-watching on Saturday nights.
But thank God, right? If not, half of us would never find mates. We don't get to choose what we look like. We can alter it but only so much. Do what you would want to do anyway in life and the right people will come along. Gratitude, compassion, forgiveness will attract what you want.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you are kind to people and give them a chance they might have an easier job seeing the beauty in you. So omit those bad words and harsh feelings toward any specific group of people. They didn't help you. If something's not doing you any good, stop doing it. But don't lash out at them like it's their fault. When we know we have a hard problem on our hands, we have to work extra hard and find what heals us by ourselves. The power to choose your life is in your own hands. Take the wheel.
I suggest you find a counselor/therapist who deals with what you're dealing with. There are a lot out there that are well versed specifically in things like gender identity, body dysmorphia and conditions we don't even have names for yet. Shop around a bit to find the one that you connect with and offers suggestions that help you. Keep a journal and write your thoughts in it so you can go back and evaluate it and see if it's really true or if you're being negative. Having a journal gives you something to immediately go to and stay on track when you have a therapist as well. Also, you should just read. Read and read and read. Until you're kind of done. And then write. Write about what your experience has been. Being positive takes work, it doesn't just fall in our lap.
Movies are good too. Movies, movies, movies. Find movies that make you feel better and then ask yourself why they make you feel better.
It was twenty years ago and I'm not hip or that daring anymore. But I found my circus. Find your circus.
Hope you can feel better soon.
I look forward to those future Left Hand of Darkness days when body augmentation is so easy and effective/reversible that it's a non-issue.
The Left Hand of Darkness <- Ursula Le Guin is wonderful.
Fire Upon the Deep/A Deepness in the Sky by Vinge <- The literal best alien writing I can think of.
Check out The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula LeGuin.
The Killer Angels is a GREAT novel set in the civil war, with really accurate depictions of the battle's mechanics and history.
All Quiet on the Western Front is a great novel set in WWI, examining young men's reactions to the atrocities and realities of modern warfare.
Hopefully that helps you out in your quest.
Wow, that's the dude who wrote Invisible Cities, a fantasy about Kubilai Khan and Marco Polo, which is fucking amazing.
He died in 1985. Do you know when this Alaska piece was written?
Well there is one key factor here, and that is human memory.
If I had some hugely powerful new weapon I could impose my will on the world without worrying about any lingering political tensions. (Please see Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End for a masterful treatment of this concept)
However, politics depends on people eventually agreeing to a shared decision-making framework. Like forealdudes points out, many of the conflicts we're worried about are ancient tensions between neighbors. It would be ignorant to try to convince Ukranians, Tatars, Russians and the many other ethnicities that their peoples' history didn't matter while trying to resolve the current conflict.
More importantly, empathy for other people is built by listening to their stories and hearing what's important to them. Diplomacy is essentially professional-level empathy. OP, if you're seriously considering diplomacy whatsoever, you need to hear people's stories and understand how they are intrinsically tied to that person's identity and therefore the likelihood of achieving some sort of diplomatic resolution
My advice to you is to read a book. The ones I pointed out would be a good start, but if you can't handle actual scholarly works yet, the Bible and Doctor Seuss aren't going to get you terribly far. So try finding a library. Pick up Heinlein, Asimov and Clarke. Then maybe you can graduate on to Jack Diamond and Graeber before tackling Pinker, Sagan and Krauss.
Read a book.
> neither could even the most authoritarian president really create a dictatorship, as in other countries.
It can't happen here.
> Right-wing Americans are, by and large, crazy about the principles of freedom and democracy.
...for white, Christian men. For everyone else, it's "law and order" which is code for authoritarianism.
Copland's book, What To Listen For In Music, is excellent.
To help her create, balance, and contextualize all the new relationships she'll be forming in college: Sex God by Rob Bell and The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman (Both of these books will affect how a person approaches relationships with family, friends, and lovers. Can't recommend these enough.)
To encourage some introspection: Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Guilty pleasure: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn or The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson or The Secret History by Donna Tartt
And to promote the journey of becoming her own person: The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand and On the Road by Jack Kerouac