Best cultural heritage fiction books according to redditors

We found 341 Reddit comments discussing the best cultural heritage fiction books. We ranked the 158 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.

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Top Reddit comments about Cultural Heritage Fiction:

u/PrivateIdahoGhola · 27 pointsr/SubredditDrama

Litany of Earth is excellent. Can't wait for the full length novel based on it.

This also looks interesting, though haven't read it yet: Lovecraft Country -- a novel which mixes the mythos with the the Negro Motorist Green Book.

u/UlamsAces · 24 pointsr/JordanPeterson

Outstanding. On a related note, here's a fantastic novel that takes place in Mao's China: https://www.amazon.com/Balzac-Little-Chinese-Seamstress-Novel/dp/0385722206

u/Dabee625 · 12 pointsr/movies

It's called Look Who's Back, and it's been translated into English if you're interested.

u/trillian_linbaba · 11 pointsr/booksuggestions

I loved these books for their beautiful writing and narrative structure:

u/pokoleo · 10 pointsr/uwaterloo

UW robbed me of my love for reading for fun.

A ~year after graduating, I was recommended Look Who's Back, which is a funny book about Hitler waking up in 2011, with no recollection on what happened.

It turned into a movie, and is a good/short read.

After that, I read:

u/JoachimBoaz · 10 pointsr/printSF

Well, Kim Stanley Robinson's Antarctica (1997) obviously fits the bill -- Amazon link
I'll have to think of some others....

EDIT: another book to consider: James Blish's The Frozen Year (1957). Have not read it yet and I doubt it's that great but it's about Julian Cole, an official historian on an Arctic expedition... And of course some crazy things happen 50s style.

u/pinguz · 9 pointsr/eu4

Kim Stanley Robinson - The Years of Rice and Salt

edit - TL;DR: Europe was entirely wiped out by the black plague, so events took an interesting turn

u/court12b · 9 pointsr/communism101

They dropped DYNAMITE from Aircraft.

I had to learn about it from reading Lovecraft Country

The murderous racism was easily 10x scarier than the eldrich horrors.

u/porpoiseoflife · 8 pointsr/anime

For anyone who was a fan of Fune wo Amu and is in the US, the translated novel is free on Amazon right now.

And yes. I did just let out a little fangirl squeal IRL. How did you ever guess...

u/admorobo · 8 pointsr/suggestmeabook

Peter Hamill's Forever is about a man who arrives in New York City in 1740 and through events becomes immortal as long as he does not leave the island of Manhattan. It's a pretty interesting concept and allows the reader to trace both the character's story, as well as the growth of NYC from the mid-18th century onwards.

u/[deleted] · 8 pointsr/books

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. It is a short book, but it is one of my absolute favorites and I think it meets your criteria well.

u/tomcarter · 8 pointsr/China

As the mod of r/chinabookclub/, I must say this is the first time ever I have seen someone request a "fun" book about the Cultural Revolution. I think the word you intended was "engaging" or "gripping." In which case there are many. Literally hundreds.


For fiction, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is very readable and heartwarming. And it was also made into a movie by my #1 crush Zhou Xun, which you can watch after to compare.


For non-fiction, try Anchee Min's Red Azalea her memoir as a school girl who comes of age and discovers sexuality during the Down to the Countryside movement.

u/Powerslave1123 · 8 pointsr/Norse

I would highly recommended this book as an introduction to Norse mythology. It's easy to read without being dumbed down, and it's very fun and engaging. Really fantastic read.

u/Craylee · 7 pointsr/AskTrollX

Who Fears Death is an amazing fantasy book that has themes of magic as well as racism and sexism. It's an amazing read!

I love sci-fi and my tops are the Hyperion Cantos, Robert A. Heinlein books (The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Time Enough For Love, etc.), Ursula K Le Guin books (Earthsea, which is actually fantasy, Very Far Away From Anything Else, which is actually just fiction, The Dispossessed, Rocannon's World, The Left Hand of Darkness, etc.) and John Varley books (Titan, Wizard, Demon. a trilogy. Millennium, Steel Beach).

I'm currently reading another sci-fi trilogy, Three, Fall of Morningside, Dawnbreaker, which I like a lot. Jay Posey also wrote another sci-fi novel, Outriders, also very good.

I have Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children on my nightstand to read next. Apparently, there's a sequel book, too, so I'll probably read that after.

John Green's books are really good YA fiction. The Fault in our Stars, Finding Alaska, Paper Towns I've read and enjoyed.

Read any Neil Gaiman? I recommend American Gods and Anansi Boys, as well as Good Omens co-written with Terry Pratchett, also the author of many amazing Discworld novels. The books about the witches are the best.

Random other books I've read & enjoyed: Their Eyes Were Watching God, The Pelican Brief, Invitation To The Game, Throne of Glass series, The Invisible Library, The Paper Magician trilogy, The Night Circus, The Shepherd Moon, (Poison Study, Magic Study, Fire Study) trilogy, The Lost Legends of New Jersey.

Oh and if you like cats a lot like I do, Tails of Wonder and Imagination is a collection of very interesting short stories.


u/specialkake · 7 pointsr/Favors

I was going to leave it as a little mini-puzzle, but: Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

u/mathiasa · 6 pointsr/korea

Please Look After Mom (엄마를 부탁해) by Kyung-sook Shin (신경숙). Quite interesting contemporary literature, which I enjoyed a lot.

http://www.amazon.com/Please-Look-After-Vintage-Contemporaries/dp/0307739511

or support your local bookstore!

u/kylco · 6 pointsr/printSF

Pastwatch By Orson Scott Card shows the efforts of some time travelers to effect exactly what you're referring to, but only one or two chapters is actually set in the altered timeline.

I second pinguz's offering of The Years of Rice and Salt, but you should be aware that there's some soft sci-fi/mysticism about reincarnation tucked away in it, like in a lot of her work (though I found it quite tasteful).

u/SmallFruitbat · 6 pointsr/YAwriters

I think voice and tone are the main markers of YA, and those are incredibly hard to nail down.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, The Ranger's Apprentice, My Sister's Keeper, Miserere, The Midwife's Apprentice, The Catcher in the Rye, the His Dark Materials trilogy, Ella Enchanted, Catherine, Called Birdy, Fangirl, the Mistborn trilogy, Girls Like Us, various Tamora Pierce books, and Incarceron are all books that could be considered YA in some markets, but not in others (some are marketed up as adult literature, others down as children's books).

If you went solely by "characters being teenagers for most of the book" to define YA, (and even threw in caveats like "coming of age" and "no explicit sex") you'd get titles like Wild Ginger, The Poisonwood Bible, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, Into the Forest, or The Year of the Flood on the YA shelves, possibly disappointing a lot of people who aren't interested in such a dreary world view and often a pervading sense of melancholy (which is perhaps coming from the slower pace, even if things are happening all the time?).

Endings seem to play a role too: those adult examples were all unhappy ends that could make the characters' entire journey seem pointless. YA doesn't necessarily shy away from the unhappy ending (The Fault in Our Stars, The Girl of Fire and Thorns, and Feed come to mind), but there's always a spark of hope and the books were more upbeat up until that point.

YA doesn't necessarily shy away from cynicism or ennui and/or despair either: there was plenty of that to go around in The Hunger Games, Looking for Alaska, Graceling, Delirium, and The Archived, but those tended to be character traits coming from character voice rather than the tone of the narration itself.

Bonus MG vs YA distinction: Does he liiiiike her and maybe kiss her or marry her or are they dating or secretly lusting?

tl,dr: Gut feeling. I know it when I read it, and I don't always agree with the official designation on the spine.

u/chaseinger · 6 pointsr/pics

if you haven't, read matt ruff's novel 'lovecraft country'. it's fantastic and describes exactly what you're talking about.

u/Gazzellebeats · 5 pointsr/LetsGetLaid

>I don’t regret having one, just extremely ashamed of being sexual and communicating it to girls and also showing it to the world. Attracting girls’ attention and whatnot isn’t very hard but progressing things to dating, holding hands and eventually sex is impossible. I can’t even call them or message them on Facebook or Whatsapp because I just feel like an idiot for doing so. Making a move in clubs and bars is also difficult although I once got close to leaving with a girl but she didn't want to. I got made fun of a lot growing up for not having a girlfriend and this made me feel like i do not deserve one. It doesn't matter if I've got the green light to go ahead I just feel really ashamed do it. Even something like looking at a fit girl wearing a short skirt makes me feel bad for checking her out and that I shouldn’t be doing it.


I know what you mean. I've been there myself, but even when I was there I was entirely self-aware of my shame and I was skeptical of the validity of my emotional reactions; I realized they were ingrained. Being aware of your emotional reactions allows you to be emotionally proactive. Your sex-negative problem is mostly an emotional issue, and not much else, right? I've been there. I wouldn't doubt that you are also decent looking and have both latent and actualized social skills. Most intelligent introverts have a lot of potential to be who they want to be because they know themselves more deeply than others. You must use your introverted nature to your advantage and recognize the differences in others and yourself. In all honesty, there are an infinite number of unwritten rules; everyone's abstract/emotional logic is different. Many of them are foundational and predictable, however; including yours and mine. Like anything else, being emotionally predictable is not a black/white issue. It is a grey area, and you have to balance your reliability with creativity.


Being made fun of for not having a girlfriend is just as sexist as being made fun of for not having a boyfriend; gender equal too. Were you ever shamed for not having a boyfriend? It's clearly a matter of groupthink and extroverted style; not for everyone. Dating relationships, for extroverts especially, are often attention-getting and showy. They wear their relationships like trophies won. Usually introverts prefer a more private relationship because they have less social desire and are often shamed because of it. Introverts are “themselves” more often in private. Extroverts are “themselves” more often in public. There is no shame deserved either way, regardless of popular opinion. Both styles have their strengths and weaknesses, and you should try to introject some of the traits that you enjoy in others; regardless of type. That is how you become balanced.


>I’m receiving counselling from a pastor who advocates the whole “no sex before marriage” thing and believes that people should only date to get married and sex is only for making kids which is stupid IMO because I do not plan on getting married anytime soon.


Counseling from a Catholic pastor? Watch out, that is one of the most notorious sex-negative societies out there. They own the abstinence-only charade while they parade horribles. Marriage is not the answer to anything; it is an institution of the state. Anything else attached is sentimental.


If you haven't already, I recommend doing an in-depth study of animal sexual behaviors; especially the most intelligent animals. All animals have sex for pleasure, but some animals are only driven to have sex at certain times of the year; humans are on a 24/7 system.


>I’ve tried the no fap route and gotten very high days counts but that hasn’t really helped me at all.


Sexual frustration doesn't help anyone. If you are mindful, then you can use your libido to further your goals, but it is not an all-cure.


>Got any sources to help overcome sex-negative perspectives? I’m interested in recreational sex not baby making sex.


Absolutely. I recommend starting with actual sex science and learning about male and female psychology and neurology. Then work your way into reading about sex culture. You should also study developmental psychology as you will probably need the clinical context in order to objectively self-evaluate your childhood influences; it is necessary for self-therapy. The best therapy will always be self-therapy; no one will ever know you better than yourself.


Evolutionary Science and Morals Philosophy:

The Selfish Gene

The Moral Landscape

The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined

Justice: What's The Right Thing To Do?


Sex Psychology, Science, and Neurology:

Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex

The Female Brain

The Male Brain

Why Men Want Sex and Women Need Love

What Do Women Want

Why Women Have Sex: Understanding Sexual Motivations from Adventure to Revenge (and Everything in Between)

Sex: The world's favorite pastime fully revealed


Behavioral Psychology and Abstract Economics:

How Pleasure Works

Freakonomics

Quiet: The Power of Introverts In A World That Can't Stop Talking

Thinking Fast And Slow

We Are All Weird


Developmental Psychology:

Nurture Shock

Hauntings: Dispelling The Ghosts That Run Our Lives


Empathy Building:


Half The Sky

The House On Mango Street

Me Before You

The Fault In Our Stars

Also check out James Hollis' Understanding The Psychology of Men lecture if you can find it.



Movies: XXY, Tom Boy, Dogtooth, Shame, Secretary, Nymphomaniac, Juno, Beautiful Creatures, and The Man From Earth.



All of these things are related, but it is up to you to make the connections; pick and choose which material suits your interests best. These are the things that came to mind first, and they have all influenced my perspectives.

u/nocoolnametom · 5 pointsr/exmormon

Technically, tithing/fast offerings/humanitarian aid/missionary funds/etc goes into bank accounts and mutual funds for a period of a few years. Then the interest earned off of this money is put into the general use budget of the Church: buy or build new for-profit companies, real estate, or to cover the losses if they spend more than their self-imposed tithing "budget" for the year. Then the original amount that was tithed is budgeted separately from this cash and is technically only used for business underneath the umbrella of "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints". The corporations either support themselves or are helped by infusions of further interest earned from tithing accounts.

If you want more info on this sort of thing, I'd recommend The Book of Mammon. It's kind of a crazy read in terms of style, but it covers all sorts of crap like this.

u/Ysmildr · 5 pointsr/vikingstv

Okay, let me break this down for you in very simple terms:

Every single book I have bought on Viking history goes to extensive lengths IN THE FUCKING INTRODUCTION to detail how Women were treated vastly different to modern day societies (even books written in the 1930s acknowledge this) and that they were warriors. Every. Single. Fucking. Book.

But no, you, who have obviously never read into the subject, know better. You want a list of books? I can provide that.

Book one

Book two

Book three

>Hell's Angels podcast, I don't care

And that's your ignorance showing once again. The podcast is fully sourced and it's done by a guy who majored in History. I'm not sure if he has a Bachelors or a Masters, but he has a degree specifically in History, and he fully sources everything for his podcast. It's not at all some "feminist agenda" podcast, it's actually good history.

LINK

I'm fucking done dude. You are ignorant, and instead of learning about it you arrogantly rant about this stuff.

u/AxisOfAwesome · 5 pointsr/books

Forever by Pete Hamill was pretty good.


>This widely acclaimed bestseller is the magical, epic tale of an extraordinary man who arrives in New York in 1740 and remains ... forever. Through the eyes of Cormac O'Connor - granted immortality as long as he never leaves the island of Manhattan - we watch New York grow from a tiny settlement on the tip of an untamed wilderness to the thriving metropolis of today. And through Cormac's remarkable adventures in both love and war, we come to know the city's buried secrets - the way it has been shaped by greed, race, and waves of immigration, by the unleashing of enormous human energies, and, above all, by hope.

u/seirianstar · 5 pointsr/booksuggestions

These are all books on my list to read from various suggestions. Maybe one will spark your interest:

Every Day "Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.
There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere."

1Q84"The year is 1984 and the city is Tokyo. A young woman named Aomame follows a taxi driver’s enigmatic suggestion and begins to notice puzzling discrepancies in the world around her. She has entered, she realizes, a parallel existence, which she calls 1Q84 —“Q is for ‘question mark.’ A world that bears a question.”

The Mists of Avalon "Here is the magical legend of King Arthur, vividly retold through the eyes and lives of the women who wielded power from behind the throne. A spellbinding novel, an extraordinary literary achievement, THE MISTS OF AVALON will stay with you for a long time to come...."

The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao "Oscar is a sweet but disastrously overweight ghetto nerd who—from the New Jersey home he shares with his old world mother and rebellious sister—dreams of becoming the Dominican J.R.R. Tolkien and, most of all, finding love. But Oscar may never get what he wants. Blame the fukú—a curse that has haunted Oscar’s family for generations, following them on their epic journey from Santo Domingo to the USA. Encapsulating Dominican-American history, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao opens our eyes to an astonishing vision of the contemporary American experience and explores the endless human capacity to persevere—and risk it all—in the name of love."

The Fault in Our Stars "Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Agustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten."

u/w4rfr05t · 4 pointsr/WTF

It's good stuff. Some of the writing is just so-so, but the idea is pretty solid. Base human stock + a few nudges from bioengineers = wide variety of forms suited to ecological niches vacated by mass extinctions.

If you like it, you might also like the novel Evolution by Stephen Baxter. I'll warn you, like most of his writing, it's a little bleak.

u/vivifiction · 4 pointsr/writing

It's all dependent on what you want to do. Plenty of authors have written dialogue in dialect. Plenty others have written it normally and used narration/dialogue tags. Consider the effect of both. Dialects can be extraordinarily useful in showing a character is an outsider—everyone is talking one way, but this character is talking another. It's never just about verisimilitude or mimesis. If that's the only effect you're going for, I'd say just let us know the character has an accent. You can tell us that plainly, or you can have characters they come in contact with regularly asking where they're from, etc.

If you're going to use dialects, I'd strongly recommend you read a lot of works that use dialects. Ideally, you'd be able to find some examples of characters that speak in the dialects you're interested in using to see how others have done it. Off the top of my head, a recent (and excellent) book with heavy dialect is A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James, which won the Man Booker a few years ago. One of the POV characters speaks in a Jamaican accent in narration and dialogue alike.

u/Ragnrok · 4 pointsr/Norse

Your new book? You're Kevin Crossley-Holland? That's awesome!

Anyway, I already have this one (and by the way, thank you for giving me not only an informative book, but on that looks freaking gorgeous). Should I buy the new one too?

u/RedShirtDecoy · 4 pointsr/vikingstv

When I started watching this show a few years ago I ended up buying quite a few books about Norse Mythology and Asatru (the reconstruction religion that is becoming more popular).

Here are a few good ones

The Norse Myths This is a good basic breakdown of the stories in the Sagas/Eddas and is easy to read.

Viking Age: Everyday Life During the Extraordinary Era of the Norsemen This is a fantastic book that really isn't related to the myths (there is a religion section) but this is a great book that goes over the everyday lives of Vikings and their families. Everything from political structure down to what they ate and how they dressed. It also has great illustrations.

The Prose Edda: Norse Mythology (Penguin Classics) - one of the source materials of the myths.

The Sagas of Ragnar Lodbrok - I dont have this one personally but it is on my list to buy.

If you want to read about the reconstruction religion that has gained in popularity since the 70s check this book out. Essential Asatru: Walking the Path of Norse Paganism - This is another easy to read book that not only goes over the basics of the Myths/Gods but also goes over the ceremonies and rituals of those who choose to practice today what the Vikings practiced. Minus the live sacrifices... those have been replaced with food and drink thankfully.

If you are just wanting to dip your toes into learning about the myths I cannot recommend the first link more than enough. It is far easier to read than the Eddas/Sagas and from what I understand from other subs is a widely regarded starting point.

Also check out /r/norse and /r/asatru.

u/bilbo_elffriend · 4 pointsr/Norse

I am an norse enthusiast who has only superficial knowledge.

I found this book Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley-Holland. It is a book for people exactly like me - people who don't have extensive knowledge of the Norse Myths and are yet interested in the overall culture. The book has each myth as a story and it is cyclical - it begins with the creation of the world and ends with Ragnarok. So basically, it contains all the stories in the Eddas - in a much more reader friendly manner than the usual academic works.

All in all, a very enjoyable book. I'd highly recommend it.


...although, the price mentioned in Amazon seems pretty high. I bought a different version of the book at my place for less than half that price.

u/mrsimmons · 4 pointsr/books

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Diaz. Great book. I highly recommend it, although since you don't know me I suppose that recommendation doesn't mean all that much. I believe it won the National Book Award, but I could be wrong.

Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Brief-Wondrous-Life-Oscar-Wao/dp/1594483299/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1289934481&sr=1-1

u/gangviolence · 4 pointsr/AskFeminists

I'm not familiar with books about body image but I don't think that books need to be about body image to make young black kids comfortable with their blackness - just reading about normal, well-written black characters is enough for some kids. (Even seeing a black face on the back of the book or illustrated on the cover is a good thing for young people.) There are a bunch of books out there that address the topic of fitting in and what it's like to be black in America and feel "normal," but those books are usually catered to pre-teens and I don't know enough about them to give any recommendations.

There are a bunch of good books out there by black writers (all of the ones I can think of right now are by women) that have black main characters and convey a positive message (not just about being black) that I think might help. Check out these books and their authors:

u/kulmthestatusquo · 4 pointsr/Futurology

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1416562605?keywords=white%20tiger&qid=1458528462&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

(Read not the book, but reviews of the actual people living in Mumbai who say the truth is harsher than what is on that book)

u/dank420memes1337 · 3 pointsr/EnoughTrumpSpam
u/RelationshipCreeper · 3 pointsr/SRSBusiness

The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

..with the caveat that it's really only almost fantasy. It has the tone, and there's one or two fantasy type elements here and there, but it's a real-world setting. That said, I loved this book. It's one of my favorites.

>Oscar is a sweet but disastrously overweight ghetto nerd who—from the New Jersey home he shares with his old world mother and rebellious sister— dreams of becoming the Dominican J.R.R. Tolkien and, most of all, finding love. But Oscar may never get what he wants. Blame the fukú—a curse that has haunted Oscar’s family for generations, following them on their epic journey from Santo Domingo to the USA.

Ursula K. Le Guin is pretty reliable when it comes to mixing up PoCs into her books, so I'd search that. Bonus, she writes both science fiction and fantasy iirc so she might have something in between.

Isabel Allende -- she's technically a Latin American literary type author, but a lot of Latin American literature is uhhhh.... I think the term for it is "magical realism." They're typically set in South America, often the characters or themes relate to native populations, and I recall a secondary character in one book who was essentially a MtF transsexual.

Aha! I found it. It's Eva Luna.

>As the years pass and her imprudent nature sends Eva from household to household—from the home of a doctor famed for mummifying the dead to a colorful whorehouse and the care of a beautiful transsexual—it is Eva’s magical imagination that keeps her alive and fuels her ardent encounters with lovers of all kinds. And as her South American homeland teeters on the brink of political chaos, and Eva’s fate is intertwined with guerrilla fighters and revolutionaries, she will find her life’s calling—and the soul mate who will envelop her in a love entirely beyond her mystical inventions.

It has the same issue as Oscar Wao (actually for the same reason, probably): they're not "fantasy" in the sense of world-building and dragons, but "with fantastical and magical elements."

I also used to really like books by Sheri S Tepper, and a few of them had women's rights themes, but I can't remember any PoCs or non-cis main characters off the top of my head. She writes sci fi, but they were enough on the fantasy end of the spectrum that I could handle them. I'm not really a sci fi person.

I also dug up this Amazon list: "Multicultural Speculative Fiction".

Also, I found a "Multicultural Graphic Novels" list which probably isn't for you but looked too awesome to not mention.

Editing to add:

"The Privilege of the Sword": technically Young Adult, I think. The uncle is gay. Or maybe bi. I think he had orgies. Yeah, that would make him bi, I think.

Patricia Briggs: Mercy Thompson. This entire series. The protagonist is half native american, and she works in a garage. The entire series is pretty imaginative, although I can't remember that her heritage is really dealt with other than "and that's why she can turn into a coyote." Patricia Briggs has been one of my favorite writers pretty much since I was a teen. Before she got popular. I'm a hipster.

Another Amazon list: "Some Lesbian Fantasy and SF Favorites". I recognize a lot of the authors' names, but the only one I've read anything by is Tanya Huff. She's very good, and the rest that I recognize have high reviews and good reputations.

Another list along the same lines

u/dw_pirate · 3 pointsr/IWantToLearn

The Elder Edda is definitely the better of the two; Snorri's Edda is very christianized and therefore doesn't stay true to Norse mythology.

One of the best books would be Kevin Crossley-Holland's The Norse Myth. It's very simple to read yet keeps the essence of the myths.

u/JesusHMontgomery · 3 pointsr/Harmontown

Just built my first computer. Pretty stoked about that - and so far no problems!

And this book has been blowing my mind https://www.amazon.com/Lovecraft-Country-Novel-Matt-Ruff/dp/0062292064/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473315193&sr=8-1&keywords=lovecraft+country

1940s racist America plus Lovecraft mythology? You had me at "1940s racist America plus Lovecraft mythology."

u/ajryan · 3 pointsr/dopeypodcast

There's a great history book Season Of The Witch about 60s-80s San Francisco that gets into government infiltration of the counterculture, including the Black Panthers. And then there's the novel A Brief History Of Seven Killings about the assassination attempt on Bob Marley.

So hard to separate fact from fiction with this stuff... I'm with /u/BeachStoop in being v skeptical about conspiracy theories. Like yeah, that Dopey guest was so far out there - seems like it's a coping mechanism about the insecurity of not being totally in control.

See also: Hanlon's Razor - sometimes people aren't evil, they're just stupid.

u/Something_CleverHere · 3 pointsr/Fantasy

Not sure if it qualifies as fantasy (as it's an alternative history with some fantasy elements), but:

The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson. I really enjoyed it.

u/helfire57 · 3 pointsr/woahdude

I guess that I need to read "The Years of Rice and Salt" by Kim Stanley Robinson again. I was hoping that I-we would remember it. It was really long but very much for me-us in /r/woahdude/

http://www.amazon.com/The-Years-Rice-Salt-ebook/dp/B000FBFNPG/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1343796106&sr=1-1&keywords=the+years+of+rice+and+salt

u/stickmanDave · 3 pointsr/AskScienceDiscussion

You might want to check out Antarctica. It's a hard SF novel dealing with living sustainably on and, to an extent, colonizing Antarctica. It also features breathtaking and extensive descriptions of the geology and geography of the continent. If you're interested in the place, you'll love it.

u/million_tiny_stars · 3 pointsr/books
  1. Forever -Pete Hamill
  2. 10/10
  3. Historical fiction
  4. Hamill paints a picture of New York throughout 200 hundred years through the eyes of an irish man who was given the gift of immortality. He goes off to america to avenge the death of his family. It was the first book I've read by Pete Hamill, and I'm definitely checking out the rest of his works.
  5. Amazon.com
u/disputing_stomach · 3 pointsr/booksuggestions

Forever by Pete Hamill is about a guy who is immortal as long as he doesn't leave Manhattan. Hamill is an excellent writer and I really enjoyed this book.

u/dropbearphobia · 3 pointsr/AskReddit

Don't know what you like to read so I'm going to go a few ways, but these are good ''stuck in bed'' books. By Author (because thats how i like to read):


Haruki Murakami:

u/El_espectro · 3 pointsr/SquaredCircle

This sounds interesting as fuck. Amazon link for those interested and too lazy to google: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1623653339?pc_redir=1409998216&robot_redir=1

u/marsipangrisen · 3 pointsr/norsemythology

I would suggest you taking a look at "The Norse Myths" by Kevin Crossley-Holland. A perfect guide into the norse mythology. It starts of with a brief explanation and then tells all the myths in a fantasy-novel style but always keeps the facts accurate.

Edit: Found it on amazon, and it's on sale!

u/dbaker84 · 2 pointsr/asatru

I've recently been enjoying The Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley-Holland. Not exactly heavy reading, but it is very accessible and easy to pick up.

u/AwesomeBrainPowers · 2 pointsr/Warframe

Brian Lumly has a series of Lovecraftian collections—centered around a character named Titus Crow—that are pretty decent.

Matt Ruff’s Lovecraft Country is excellent, though it uses chthonic terrors more as a lens to view racial and social injustice, which might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

u/erican · 2 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

This is an amazing contest! This subreddit astounds me everyday!

I'd love to win this Kindle, I'm heading on a big vacation in August (China, S.Korea and Japan) for 30 days and I don't know how I'll survive without books to pass the time! Travel time I mean, not touristy time.

A book I'd love is The Years of Rice and Salt

u/steralite · 2 pointsr/books

I loved The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Oscar is a character most can relate to on some level, he's fat, nerdy, loves fantasy novels, star wars and role-playing games. He also can't seem to ever get laid, crazy huh?


Edit: thank you for downvoting with no explanation. Maybe I should have posted my comment as an imgur link?

u/Versailles · 2 pointsr/AskReddit

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

Both are Pulitzer Prize winners, guy-ish and accessible literary fiction.

Also, James Elroy's L.A. trilogy, The Big Nowhere, L.A. Confidential and White Jazz. An omg his autobiography My Dark Places.

My husband recommends anything by Jim Harrison.

EDIT: A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole and The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

u/stumpdawg · 2 pointsr/AskReddit

no no you dont need any of that. what you do need is this http://www.amazon.com/Norse-Myths-Pantheon-Folklore-Library/dp/0394748468 "Norse Myths" it will tell you everything you need to know about how badass and awesome that the scandanavians really are

u/natnotnate · 2 pointsr/whatsthatbook

It might be Forever, by Pete Hamill

>In the aftermath of a slave revolt, Cormac saves the life of an African magician and is granted the power of immortality--provided he never sets foot off Manhattan Island. Not a bad deal, since it allows the ever-observant Cormac to be eyewitness to some of history's greatest spectacles--from the American Revolution to the Draft Riots, from the rise and fall of Tammany Hall to the stock market crash. Oh, and that business of September 11, 2001, too.

u/IntrepidReader · 2 pointsr/books

Two nonfiction books I have recently read that are beautifully written and on important topics most of us are not generally aware of:

Family Properties: Race, Real Estate, and the Exploitation of Black Urban America

Enough: Why the World's Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty

Fiction:

Confederacy of Dunces

A Fine Balance

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

u/blackstar9000 · 2 pointsr/books

On the basis of Indian Creek Chronicles, I'd say there's a good chance you'd get a great deal out of The Outermost House, one of the classics of modern American naturalist non-fiction. The premise if very simple -- the author, Henry Beston, spent a year living in virtual solitude on the easternmost house on the American coast, keeping notes on what he observed. The result is a brief, zen-like meditation on nature's movement through a single place over a single cycle of the seasons. Highly influential.

Since it looks like you're interested in the cultural conflict between modernity and tradition, I'd suggest The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, which follows the treatment of a young Hmong girl whose immigrant parents struggle with the California health care system in dealing with her undiagnosed seizures.

Great to see John McPhee on your list -- hands down one of my favorite non-fiction writers. Just about anything he's written will be compulsively informative and shift the way you think about his chosen topic. Levels of the Game is a brilliant depiction of a single game between Arthur Ashe and Clark Graebner, that delves into the way in which personal biography informs how an athlete plays and ultimately contributes to the meaning of the game.

Along similar lines, Yusanari Kawabata's The Master of Go deals with damn near close to all of the themes at heart in the books listed above, and will likely teach you a little about the ancient game of Go, if you have any interest in that. An idiosyncratic pick, perhaps, but it's one of my favorite novels.

u/Captain_Hampockets · 2 pointsr/suggestmeabook

This may not fit - it's been maybe 15 years since I read it, and my memories are hazy. But Evolution by Stephen Baxter might be the thing for you. I definitely enjoyed it.

u/sigdiff · 2 pointsr/suggestmeabook

The Years of Rice and Salt sort of fits what you're looking for. Very lyrically written, but it's more of a revisionist history. Basically, (no spoilers, this is the premise) imagine if Europe were totally decimated by the Black Plague and all major historical events that happened thereafter were led by Asian cultures (including the conquering of North America).

u/nuclearwar · 2 pointsr/AskReddit

Possibly the Western Sahara. It's claimed by Morocco but has an official status of a "disputed zone" with the Polisario Front.

And since you probably won't leave civilization, I would have two suggestions that you might enjoy.

  1. Watch Heimo's Arctic Refuge.

    http://www.vbs.tv/watch/far-out--2/heimo-s-arctic-refuge-full-length

  2. Read Antactica and the Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson.

    http://www.amazon.com/Antarctica-Kim-Stanley-Robinson/dp/0553574027

    http://www.amazon.com/Red-Mars-Trilogy-Stanley-Robinson/dp/0553560735
u/kinematografi · 2 pointsr/books

The only times this has happened to me were

The Contortionist's Handbook by Craig Clevenger and
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

I couldn't tell you what it was about them that sucked me in so drastically, but they were pretty good books. :)

u/cinderflight · 2 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

One book that I read for school was The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. It is a poetry book that tells the story of Cisneros's childhood. It eloquently captures the life of a girl of Hispanic immigrants. I am not a big fan of poems, but Cisneros has a way of writing poetry that I really like.

u/dodeca_negative · 2 pointsr/askscience

Stephen Baxter's book Evolution contains a description of the strike, and how it would have been experienced by creatures around the world. It remains among the most horrifying passages I've ever read.

I'm going from memory here, but IIRC one of the things he noted was that there was no way to describe what the impact looked like, because if you weren't over the horizon when it happened, you were instantly vaporized.

(NB: I have a love-hate relationship with that book, but IMHO it's a worthwhile read, and most of it is very good.)

u/hotbuilder · 2 pointsr/polandball

Well, you could start off with the book and the movie is coming to Netflix in April(?).

u/Shadow_Log · 2 pointsr/movies

Oh, that sounds fantastic. I will check the book out, thanks for the tip! And I'll curiously await the movie.

I too watched Jacob's Ladder because of Silent Hill, funny enough. And I agree that games can be much more efficient in communicating this type of genre. The closest anyone has ever gotten to Lovecraft must be Eternal Darkness, a gem on the Nintendo Gamecube (with an incredibly terrible trailer).

While we're recommending books:
Matt Ruff's Lovecraft Country is a great read and homage, mixing the real horror of African-American life in southern states during the Jim Crow era with elder gods.

u/S4MH41N · 2 pointsr/Vikings_TvSeries

Yes. I became interested in Viking culture not long before I heard of the show, but the show has definitely helped keep my curiosity going. My interest in Norse history goes like this:

  • Interest spiked after realizing Immigrant Song by Led Zepplin is about Vikings (around mid 2012-ish)

  • Started looking into the culture, discovered Wardruna

  • Bought a book about runes, the myths, etc

  • Vikings comes out on History channel (I remember thinking, "Man, Wardruna should do music for this show!" And then mfw)

  • Recently started looking into Asatru and stuff that is still going on in this age that can be tied to Vikings

    My interest in the Vikings isn't necessarily about the specific dates, locations, etc. It's more about the lifestyle, the myths, the attitude they had. And Vikings does a great job, IMO, of keeping that interest going. It's inspiring me to get in touch with nature again, learn how to do things I've never done, etc. Plus it's entertaining!

    EDIT: Here's the two books I've bought (so far) regarding Viking history. You'll note that they're basically children's books. The first one deals with the myths on a children's story level, the second has more in depth analysis on the myths, but without the pictures. I think simply reading about the things the Vikings may have lived by is better than just learning what date Bjorn raided "whatever-land". Anyways, here's the two books I have:

    Book of Norse Myths: Kid's book with pictures, walking you through the myths on an introductory level

    The Norse Myths: A much more comprehensive book about the myths

    I also have two other books related to Norse history or culture:

    Practical Guide to the Runes

    Practical Heathen's Guide to Asatru: For learning about the way a heathen's mind works and how he lives his life. I don't follow the stuff in the book, but I'm putting some of it into practice as I explore my ancestral connections
u/absolutelyspiffing · 2 pointsr/suggestmeabook

Forever by Pete Hamill. If you happen to have seen the cutesy ABC tv adaptation, the book is much darker and beautifully written.

u/Cdresden · 2 pointsr/printSF

I wish he'd have included some thoughts on other black SF writers instead on concentrating on films. There aren't many besides Butler and Delany, though.

N. K. Jemison (The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms) is a new black SF writer that shows promise. Also Nnedi Okorafor (Who Fears Death).

u/newloaf · 2 pointsr/pics

For those who are more interested in Jamaican history and Mr. Marley, may I recommend A Brief history of seven killings?

u/kyrie-eleison · 2 pointsr/books

This encyclopedia is great; not quite Bulfinch's cousin, but very informative.

For something more like Bulfinch, this book is a damn good introduction.

u/nillacat · 2 pointsr/books

For background reference, Wikipedia.

For the Norse myths, the poet Kevin Crossley-Holland's The Norse Myths is marvelous, and the end notes and bibliography are very thorough if you want to go further or read the sources.

For Greek, D'Aulaires' as others have suggested for lively tellings. Rose's Handbook of Greek Mythology for reference. Bullfinch is complete and standard but a little dull. Hesiod and the so-called Homeric Hymns are among the primary source material if you want to go further.

Ovid was a fine Roman poet who retold many of the Greek stories in the Metamorphoses - stories of Transformations. Roman mythology as we commonly think of it is largely derivative of Greek mythology, with the names changed, but Roman religion was a complicated layering of native beliefs and foreign cults. Still, for background to Milton, all you really need is a gloss relating the Greek and Roman names, so you can read the stories as told by Greeks or Romans.

Richard H. Wilkinson's Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt and Reading Egyptian Art are good references.

(edited for formatting)

u/knichole · 2 pointsr/AskReddit

Just restarted The White Tiger for what seems like the millionth time. For some reason I always get bored with that book and start reading something else.

Also reading the Southern Vampire series for fun.

u/jesjimher · 2 pointsr/todayilearned

Stephen Baxter imagined such a creature in "Evolution":

http://www.amazon.com/Evolution-Stephen-Baxter/dp/0345457838

Some kind of 100-meter sized pterodactylus.

u/ohnobananapeeeeeels · 2 pointsr/mythology

a good starter is this book http://www.amazon.com/Norse-Myths-Pantheon-Folklore-Library/dp/0394748468 (sorry about the link, i'm on mobile). the author puts the myths in order as best as he can, and in the back he has an appendix discussing the source material he used.

u/OccamsRazerPhone · 2 pointsr/Spanish

Nope, not at all. The narrative structure consists of a bunch of loosely related vignettes about the main character's time living on the eponymous Mango Street. All together this makes for a 112-page-long novel if you get the same copy I have.

u/JohnAnderton · 2 pointsr/kindle

Around 20% into The Years of Rice and Salt, by Kim Stanley Robinson. It took a good long while to get into, but I've started to really enjoy it. - This is on sale for $2!

Reamde, by Neal Stephenson. Few hundred pages into it. Very good.

Listening to Ilium, by Dan Simmons. Loved some of his other work (i.e. Hyperion Cantos, The Terror, Carrion Comfort). This one also took a while to get into, but really enjoying it.

u/ThorinRuriksson · 2 pointsr/asatru

I haven't read that one myself (though it wouldn't surprise me if /u/Aleglad has), but I can give another recommendation. The Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley-Holland is a fantastic prose retelling of many of our stories. He does a good job at combing all the versions of the stories he can find and trying to make educated choices on which version of things to use where the tellings diverge from one another. Including explanations of the differences between sources and why he chose the paths he did. Entertaining and informative.

u/ellegood · 1 pointr/scifi
u/M00glemuffins · 1 pointr/exmormon

He used to work in the church offices, and later wrote this book

u/RinKou · 1 pointr/booksuggestions

I haven't seen it myself, but if you want something coming-of-age from a POC author/characters' perspective, Junot Diaz's The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao would probably be right up your alley.

u/TiburonVolador · 1 pointr/Spanish

Hi there!

I always try to run a Borges circlejerk here in /r/Spanish, but today, according to what you say, I'd suggest you read the Spanish version of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz.

I hear the Spanish version is excellent. Its the story about this Dominican-American nerd and his neckbeard struggles to find love in a wonderful narration that incorporates elements from comic book and science fiction references to Dominican jargon. Also, its not too long. Have a go at it!

Ninja edit: Linked the English version, so here's the Spanish Kindle reference.

u/mstibbs13 · 1 pointr/booksuggestions

I really enjoyed this one. http://www.amazon.com/Forever-A-Novel-Pete-Hamill/dp/0316735698

"The magical, epic tale of an extraordinary man who arrives in New York in 1740 and remains ... forever"

u/SlothMold · 1 pointr/booksuggestions

Oooh, I have a shelf full of these.

First, a warning: Dragon Lady is a terrible, unreadable book that's hard to take seriously.

Books I've enjoyed:

Empress Orchid, about the last empress of China (and there's a sequel!)

Hell, anything by Anchee Min

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, about re-education

Bound, the original Cinderella story; teen lit

Peony in Love, takes ghosts seriously

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, same author, completely different story. Still want to throttle characters.


And you're aware of Amy Tan already, I presume?

u/fugee_life · 1 pointr/TwoXChromosomes

I also really loved A Suitable Boy. I think it's brilliant.

For a completely contrasting look at India, I recommend the white tiger by Aravind Adiga.

I think The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is absolutely brilliant, one of the best novels of the last decade.

White Teeth is another really wonderful book about multiculturalism and immigrant life that really stands out.

For a rip-roaring old-fashioned adventure yarn, you can't do better than
Sea of Poppies.

Finally for some superior storytelling and brilliant narrative experimentation try Cloud Atlas or Ghostwritten

u/nimesis23 · 1 pointr/booksuggestions

I had this book a few years back that was a pretty decent retelling of most of the stories. It wasn't too dense either. http://www.amazon.com/Norse-Myths-Pantheon-Folklore-Library/dp/0394748468

u/Dr__Acula · 1 pointr/books

From an Amazon review:

"If you don't know the game of `go', played with white and black stones on a board, or if you are not at all familiar with Japanese culture, then this book is probably not a good place to begin."

:(

u/Ghost_in_the_Mac · 1 pointr/asatru

Hello mate, I would recommend you this order: First of all, The Norse Myths:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0394748468/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687622&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B002HLAF32&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=5ST3KMPDJ47HVWWV2AW4

The who´s who in nordic pantheon. Has the most known myths plus a superb introduction to cosmology. Myths are in chronological order, from Ginnungagap to Ragnarok. The writing is very good, adult-oriented with some touches of dry humor.

After it go for the 2 Eddas. Why is important to know about the myths or the gods? Because all the books you are going to read name or make references to the gods or to myths or both. You will want to know what on Midgard are they talking about.

After that, if you want to know more about Asatru specifically, read in this order:
The Asatru Edda
https://www.amazon.com/%C3%81satr%C3%BA-Edda-Sacred-Lore-North/dp/1440131783/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1473832369&sr=1-1&keywords=asatru+edda

The Norroena Society made a superb job publishing this Edda taking away all the christian influence. Really great job. They made with the Eddas what Dr. Viktor Rydberg did with the teutonic myths.

Next in line:
A Practical Heathen's Guide to Asatru

https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Heathens-Guide-Asatru/dp/0738733873/ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=8M3GCMHG28EVGP5090FX

Exactly what it says.

Now, if later on your path you feel the itch to learn more about teutonic myths, their social construct, history etc etc let me know that I can recommend more books depending on your needs.

u/Seanachain · 1 pointr/MLPLounge

Google found this

I kinda want to read it now, it looks hilarious.

u/camopdude · 1 pointr/AskReddit

You may also enjoy Stephen Baxter's Evolution.

u/amazon-converter-bot · 1 pointr/FreeEBOOKS

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


amazon.co.uk

amazon.ca

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amazon.it

amazon.es

amazon.com.br

amazon.nl

amazon.co.jp

Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, amazon.de, amazon.it, amazon.es, amazon.com.br, amazon.nl, amazon.co.jp, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.

u/babsrocks · 1 pointr/AskReddit

Forever by Peter Hammell is one of my favorites, it's slow to start but after the first chapter, I was hooked! Another is by a local Connecticut author it's based on his personal experience in Ukraine at the fall of the Soviet Union while learning about Chernobyl Journey To Chernobyl: ENCOUNTERS IN A RADIOACTIVE ZONE by Glenn Cheney, the Amazon reviews for both a mixed, but I loved them.

u/howboutme · 1 pointr/boardgames

If you are looking for actual good movies based off a game there is The Go Master. It is a semi-historical account of Go Seigen, who was one of the leading players responsible for the "shin fuseki" which was a big advancement on the opening theory of go.

If you want to read a novelized version of the same story there is the "Master of Go" by Yasunari Kawabata It won the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature and really encapsulates a lot of Japanese and Chinese culture at the time.

If you are just looking for campy goodness there was "Witchboard" and "The Oracle" both loosely based off of the whole Ouija/fortune telling games. Neither of those were really good but fun to riff on.

I would like to see a movie based on something like Core Worlds or even Star Realms. They are both self contained enough that they can keep the plot going. I think the new Core Worlds with the addition of more interesting heroes could really turn it out into at least a decent movie.

u/Yifubfafg · 1 pointr/evilbuildings

I'm done explaining it, but I'm an exmo who has better things to do with his life than break your true order of circle jerk.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003NE6D56/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

u/Hard_Bent · 1 pointr/history

I really liked this book. The author writes in a way that is easy enough to follow without a bunch of prior knowledge.

u/nosleepforoldwomen · 1 pointr/booksuggestions

Not Asian American, but based on that list, you may be interested in Please Look After Mom, by Kyung-Sook Shin. Someone gave it to me as a gift a while ago. I still consider it one of the best gifts I've ever received.

u/GoAskAlice · 1 pointr/fatpeoplestories

People keep telling me about this book with my username. I've never actually read it. My name comes from this. It's in memoriam of a dead friend who liked drugs a little too much.

I'll have to go pick up that book one of these days. People keep telling me about it.

If you ever remember the name of that other book, which sounds like a Chick tract, just tell me the name. I can go fetch it for myself. No need to be buying me stuff, k.

If you like to read, hell yeah, let's talk. My hubs and I are both bookworms to an amazing degree. I just read one called Everything I Never Told You which won some kind of award from Amazon - best new or first book of the year, can't remember. It's a mindfucker.

The only book that ever made me cry was written from the point of view of a family dog. It was made into a movie that completely sucked, but the end of the book had me bawling. I've had to fight to retrieve that book from people I've loaned it to; only one printing, there aren't that many around, so I wasn't able to just let them keep it.

Want to read one from the point of view of a velociraptor? Here you go.

Another mindfucker: Room. Jesus, this one will have your skin crawling and hair standing up on the back of your neck.

My main thing is historical fiction, though. Gotta be well-researched and accurate - and yes, I check. I can go on and on about this, but the best is Edward Rutherfurd. He takes several lineages and follows them throughout history - Sarum starts in prehistory, do that one first - with a ton of detail.

Hubs is into science fiction, favorite author is Neal Stephenson. We both dig Kim Stanley Robinson, though. If you've never read his stuff, try this. If sci-fi is your thing, I can ask him for some recommendations.

When I say that Himself and I are bookworms, I am not kidding. We turned the dining room into a library to contain the overflow. You walk in our front door, and to your right is a wall; to your left, a library. Pretty fucking cool, if you ask me.

u/DiKetian · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_of_Etsy

The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson. It's the most amazing piece of alt-history, based on the premise that Europe was completely wiped out in the Black Death, and how history would proceed to the present without Europe.

u/lord999x · 1 pointr/LightNovels

Vertical:
I'd put a vote in for Flying Witch (I'm pretty certain that none of the written content is objectionable and the anime is clean as I watched it with my young niece), My Ordinary Life -Nijijou (possibly has objectionable content due to mean pranks), and The Garden of Words.

Warning: "Innocent World" is mismarketed by Barnes and Noble as a children's book. It is anything but!

Yen Press:
http://yenpress.com/books/by-rating/
All ages. (Although I'd object to Baccano due to Ladd: All-together now: "Thank you, ..., the star is here!").

Everything in Mature is definitely not recommended.

Youtsuba and ! (easy recommendation), Spice and Wolf,

J-Novel Club:
Everything but Smartphone (ecchi), Arifureta (very sociopathic protagonist, jerk to everyone), arguably Little Apocalypse (ecchi), and arguably Grimgar (permadeath). +1 for Realist Hero, Infinite Dendrogram. A subscription makes for a good Christmas present due to the content model (you should look it up elsewhere).


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MAVRCW8/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

The Great Passage Amazon-sponsored translation is not a true LN, but it has an anime, and it's pretty great.

u/tomkatt · 1 pointr/books

The Great Passage by Shion Miura, translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter.

Not free per se, but I received it for free as part of Amazon's Kindle First program through Prime. I never expected a book about a group of people dedicated to releasing a dictionary to be so compelling. It's book of the year material for me.

u/beloitpiper · 1 pointr/Norse
u/The_Immortal_Shogun · 1 pointr/Fantasy

Haven't read it yet but has an interesting premise

https://www.amazon.com/Poppy-War-R-F-Kuang-ebook/dp/B072L58JW6

u/basement_wizards · 1 pointr/history

I believe this is the book that started my journey. There is one out there by Neil Gaiman but I found it lacking detail. https://www.amazon.com/Norse-Myths-Pantheon-Folklore-Library/dp/0394748468

u/disgustipated · 1 pointr/JurassicPark

Evolution, by Stephen Baxter is an interesting read, and includes dinosaurs in the relevant time period.

u/tigerking615 · 1 pointr/todayilearned

I borrowed this from the library recently and it was pretty good. 8.5/10 would recommend:

https://www.amazon.com/Norse-Myths-Pantheon-Folklore-Library/dp/0394748468/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

u/HeyZeusChrist0 · 1 pointr/Norse

Is there any difference in the above book and the book by Kevin titled "The Norse Myths (Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library)?"
It can be found here:
http://www.amazon.com/Norse-Myths-Pantheon-Folklore-Library/dp/0394748468/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375423728&sr=8-1&keywords=norse+mythology

u/buildmonkey · 1 pointr/todayilearned

KSR's Antarctica sounds like it borrowed from this guy.

u/austinsible · 1 pointr/Socialpreneur

A lot of good ones have already been said but here are a few less famous ones...

A Farewell to Alms

The Mystery of Capital

The White Tiger: A Novel

u/LeonardNemoysHead · 1 pointr/socialism

Fulfilled: Kim Stanley Robinson (plus two or three more). And, to be more directly Marxist, his thesis advisor Fredric Jameson.

u/some_random_kaluna · 1 pointr/history

So here's some of the textbooks I read (and still own) from my Asian History courses at college. All are worth reading over, but you'll also want teachers to help you, to talk with historians from China, and eventually just to go to China and see a lot of stuff for yourself.

The Cambridge Illustrated History of China, by Patricia Ebrey.

Chinese Civilization: A Sourcebook, edited by Patricia Ebrey.

Quotations from Mao Tse-Tung, written by the man himself.

Fiction:

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, by Dai Sijie.

The Outlaws of the Marsh, by Shi Nai'An and Sidney Shapiro.

The Three Body Problem, by Cixin Liu and Ken Liu.

These are a relatively good start to help you get a grounding in China's history. Everyone in this thread has also given some good suggestions. And visit /r/askhistorians; they'll have some better sources you can check out.

u/Ruggur · 1 pointr/Iteration110Cradle

If you want something martial art themes with a world similar to our own, and can stomach reading about the true costs of war and acts of genocide, try The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang.

https://www.amazon.com/Poppy-War-R-F-Kuang-ebook/dp/B072L58JW6

u/WitOfTheIrish · 1 pointr/AskReddit

Cool "what if?" book I've read: The Years of Rice and Salt

Answering "What if the black plague had killed 99% of Europe instead of just 67%?". Asian and Arab cultures sweep in, entire course of history, discovery of Americas, etc. is changed.

u/Tommy_Taylor_Lives · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

So I saw that your first crush was Drew Barrymore, so I'm assuming your with a queer woman or a straight guy. So no off limits huh? How old were you when you lost your v card?

This is what I would like if you go with used :). Thanks

u/nevafeva · 1 pointr/books

House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. Young Mexican-American girl growing up in Chicago.

u/aleppe · 1 pointr/Norse

This was my first Norse book to buy on Amazon, I completely love it and recommend it.