(Part 2) Best literary fiction books according to redditors
We found 2,388 Reddit comments discussing the best literary fiction books. We ranked the 965 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
Here are the recently published novels we've covered in the /r/SF_Book_Club (you can check out the survey results for these books from the sidebar over there):
As a Catholic, I can assure you Catholics ARE Christians. Mel Gibson is a Catholic... sort of. He's a Sedevacantist.
Man, call yourself a Christian! I would also recommend looking into the Roman Catholic faith or the Eastern Orthdox faith (we're the OG Christians, lol).
Yes, get a Bible, but DON'T read it cover-to-cover. Once you get to Leviticus, you'll be like, "What the actual f--- is going ON here?" Start with the New Testament, specifically one of the Gospels. I personally love the Gospel of Luke because of how it portrays Mary, but the Gospel of John is quite good, too. It's very symbolic and is perhaps the one you could study the deepest.
if you're finding it hard to understand some of the New Testament of the Bible (the part with Jesus, the letters of Paul, and the Book of Revelation,) I would recommend buying the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible. It's an actual, readable Bible that contains commentary throughout. The version I linked is only for the New Testament. The Old Testament analysis is still being compiled,
but it's almost done.Also, listen to Scott Hahn's podcast where he breaks down various sections of the Bible.
As for reading materials outside the Bible, I can highly recommend Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis, Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton, and Chesterton's other work The Everlasting Man.
Oh yeah, PRAY! Just have a conversation with God! Talk to him about anything you want! Pray to God, ask the Blessed Mother for intercession, or any of the saints
If you're confused about the various denominations of Christianity, Here's a basic flow chart.
Here's the Nicene Creed, which is a mash-up of what (most) Christians believe
Also, I highly recommend the Podcast Pints with Aquians! It's an analysis of the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas, who's life mission was to combine faith with human reason and prove that it was not unreasonable to believe in God, but perhaps it is unreasonable to not believe in God.
I, along with everyone on this sub, will be praying for you! Good luck on your faith journey!
It's great that you're starting to take control and responsibility of your life but this is a word of warning - it comes with a price.
You are no longer allowed to be indifferent about anything. You must be attentive and nurturing to this relationship 100%. This is something that isn't stressed in TRP because TRP is more concerned about being alpha, not the responsibility that comes with it.
This kind of behaviour will breed a certain kind of women - perhaps one that you want. If you continue with this, she will start to look to you for everything. You make the final choice and the first suggestion on where you are going for dinner, holiday, fun etc. It can be very exhausting and you do not have an out card by saying "I'm too tired" or "I don't care, you decide" anymore. This is the curse and the blessing of being a captain.
In return to your leadership, her agency will start to leave. That's a good thing because your role will now be to take the stress and pain away from her everyday life. Remember: women want to be carefree - they want to be reminded of the times when she was young with 0 responsibility, running through fields of grass in her beautiful sundress. If you allow her to do that, you are the best of men.
What that means is you need to bridge that gap between her temptation, pain, vulnerability, enjoyment and her life indulgences. Normally this gap is filled with other things such as a night out with the girls, getting drunk or indulging in wasting time on daytime TV. I've seen people escape into their work before to run away from a husband who is unable to support her in all the places in her life. She needs a confident, an advisor and someone who is non-judgemental that is forever on her team that can make her forget about her worldly responsibilities.
With your actions you are making a promise to her - that you will never let her down or hurt her. You will never use her for your own ends and you will never abuse your power by demanding or raising your voice. Taking on this role means you the rock in which she will rest everything. You will be forever fair, never making false threats or throwing insults because you are a man, and better than that.
This also means you're treading a fine line when you refuse to accept her hug in greeting. Do not play power-games with the one you love the most, instead, give her a constant that she can forever rely on.
(As an aside, if she was giving you a hug as an apology, it would've been destructive to the relationship to refuse it. The way it sounds like you did it, as a "hold that thought" moment, is acceptable).
I personally consider this the biggest sin of men to date. They don't know how to communicate or the right times to be vulnerable or strong. You must learn how to do that if you do not already.
Recommended reading to help you find that place (if you haven't already);
Zan Perrion: The Alabaster Girl
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alabaster-Girl-Zan-Perrion/dp/0992016606/ref=sr_1_1/
John Gray: Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mars-Women-Venus-Communication-Relationships/dp/0007152590/ref=sr_1_1
(Yes I know some people have opinions about that one, I found it incredibly helpful in learning how to communicate).
A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami
For me I'm going to go a bit old school. First "The Abolition of Man" by C. S. Lewis, which argues for a sort of 'Universal Truth'. I thought it was endlessly fascinating, and it's really an easy, short read. (The audio book was only an few hours long). There's also Lewis's "Mere Christianity" which is once again easy and short. In it he sort of starts with a shortened version of the argument found in Abolition, and from there discusses why Christianity itself works as the 'Universal Truth'.
If your looking for something thicker, I would suggest G. K. Chesterton's "Heretics", which blasts away the philosophy of his contemporaries (Which is still applicable today), "Orthodoxy" which discusses his own conversion and his own search for truth, and "The Everlasting Man" which discusses the history of mankind and Christianity's role in it. (This was also the book that converted Lewis' intellect).
Chesterton is not necessarily a difficult read because of lengthy words, or because he references something no longer fashionable, but because of his ideas. I like to think I can understand things fairly well, but I had to pause often to go over a phrase, or to really think about a thought he presented. But both authors are very enjoyable.
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. It's phenomenomenal.
Have you read China Mieville's Kraken by any chance? He addresses this same issue:
>This is why I wouldn’t travel that way,” Dane said. “This is my point. For a piece of rock or clothes or something dead, who cares? But take something living and do that? Beam it up? What you done is ripped a man apart then stuck his bits back together and made them walk around. He died. Get me? The man’s dead. And the man at the other end only thinks he is the same man. He ain’t. He only just got born. He’s got the other’s memories, yeah, but he’s newborn. That Enterprise, they keep killing themselves and replacing themselves with clones of dead people. That is some macabre shit. That ship’s full of Xerox copies for people who died.”
EDITED: for typos
>Seduction implies a me vs her mentality,
How? I think we're simply disagreeing on terms now. Seduction is giving her a fun dream to enjoy. But in the semantic argument, we've now entered into philosophy.
> She becomes an object
We're all objects to each other via our perspective. This is the nature of consciousness until you cross over into Enlightenment.
I see what you're trying to say, and I agree, but you're simply changing terms. I doubt I'm going to persuade you to see seduction as a cooperative act, but here's my best shot.
You can't trick people. It's really impossible. People trick themselves. You never "seduced" a woman by your definition of seduction. She decided to play along in the role of "the seduced."
However, in my definition, it is a cooperative act because in order to seduce, you must first be seduced, i.e., attracted enough to care to seduce her. It's a mutual act of dreamweaving. She bats her eyes at you, you approach, spit some game, she laughs and touches your chest, you two go home together, you both open your bodies to each other.
At no point was one person doing anything to the other exclusively.
If seduction is manipulation, then you're manipulating each other, so really neither of you is being played as you're both being played.
Your definition cancels itself out. And even if you do switch over to my definition, the same thing is still happening, you're simply seeing it differently.
This is getting very close to becoming a Zen koan....
"What is the sound of a man seducing himself?"
I think you would enjoy Zan Perrion's book, The Alabaster Girl. I've actually met Zan, too, and can confirm he knows his shit.
Iain M Banks most recent Culture novel is called Surface Detail. His Culture novels are great.
China Mieville consistently wins awards for his "new weird" books; most notably the Bas Lag novels. His The City and the City is a kinda mind-bending crime novel, but his most recent is Kraken.
The Wind Up Girl has garnered quite a few positive reviews.
I just started reading it. Shows its age a little bit, but I'm enjoying it.
In the UK you can get it and Forever Free/Peace in a single book called Peace and War, for the price of a single mass market paperback.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami.
Had to stop myself in multiple parts for different reasons. Either “I feel odd” or “that was oddly uncomfortable” or at one specific part “I might vomit holy shit” (but in a good way).
Haruki Murakami is like the Stephen King of being surreal as fuck. If you have never read one of his books I would recommend reading another one before you read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. It's easily the most surreal thing I have ever read.
I recommend starting with either
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of The World
or
A Wild Sheep Chase
then follow with The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
They are all very surreal and weird and fun to read.
The Mezzanine perfectly covers what your requirements are.
More than how, I think the emphasis with PKD is why. Several of his other books feature transcendent, reality bending experiences, and particularly with VALIS, and The Divine Invasion, gnosticism. I think a key to Isidore's experience is that he is an imperfect human expanding his spirit to a more perfect, unified consciousness. For the reader, I don't think the technical reality of the situation is at all important, anymore than knowing the chemical composition of the material that makes an android's skin makes a significant narrative difference. Rather it is important to know four details of Isidore's experience:
1.) He perceives it as real.
2.) It has a literal impact on his life.
3.) It may be illusory, despite 1 and 2.
4.) The microcosm reflects the macrocosm.
4 may seem like a leap, but again, looking at VALIS in which a pseudonymous Kilgore Troute seeks to express a god that is a "macrocosmic mirror to man the microcosm" (Valis, Chapter 6) it seems reasonable to assume that Dick might have set these beliefs out in story to better understand them. Isidore belives he finds unification with mankind while he interfaces with the box, but this belief and experience can not only mislead him and hurt him, despite being virtual, but it can kill. This, I believe, is a metaphore for the gnostic experience. We are trapped in an illusory belief system setup by a narcissitic god, and if we don't escape that illusion, it can kill us.
Yes, she did a decent set of mystery novels under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. Not great, not bad, and she was reportedly furious at whoever did the leak of her identify for them. https://www.amazon.com/Cuckoos-Calling-Cormoran-Strike/dp/0316206857
Maybe The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker?
The whole book takes place during a guy’s one-hour lunch break at work, but the content is largely about his second to second thoughts and explores the way our minds can wander (especially in a boring office setting). Like how looking at the grooves in an escalator makes him think about the grooves in a record or the grooves made by an ice skate, then imagining shrinking down to the size where you could explore those grooves like giant canyons. Haven’t thought of it as humor, but it is pretty funny.
Here's a link and all I know is the author is a ghost name for another very famous author and that's it better than
her last POS booksome of her other work, though not as good as her most famous series.Objects relating to this contest are on my Books/Kindle wishlist from Amazon.
Also try the forever war by Joe Haldeman (you can also get the whole trilogy as an omnibus edition here - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Peace-And-War-Omnibus-GOLLANCZ/dp/0575079193) Really good sci-fi which won the hugo award and is in the same theme as enders game, i feel!
While not on the same level as Gaiman, I found Sixty-One Nails by Mike Shevdon decent. It's on the same principle: a hidden world in London. However, this one is populated by the 7 courts of Feyre. [Here's] (http://www.amazon.com/Sixty-One-Nails-Courts-Feyre-Shevdon/dp/0857662473/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372547667&sr=8-1&keywords=sixty-one+nails) the Amazon page for it.
There's also Kraken, by China Miéville. It's even more similar to Neverwhere, though the hidden London is populated by cults, all waiting for their own version of the apocalypse. [Here's] (http://www.amazon.com/Kraken-China-Mieville/dp/034549749X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372547825&sr=1-1&keywords=kraken) the page for it.
Edit: If you like Game of Thrones, try reading them.
Here is a mash of books off the top of my head.
Taken from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
I haven't liked anything else he's written, but Embassytown was amazing.
I love Tana French! She writes a good, complex mystery that really sucks you in. She started with In the Woods. This is also the start of her Dublin Murder Squad books - all of them great.
Gillian Flynn, who wrote Gone Girl, also has another book out - Dark Places.
Also some of my favorites are Nicholas Evans (Horse Whisperer, among others). I've read most of Jodi Picoult's books (Leaving Time is pretty recent, and one of my favorites).
I find many of my books by keying in favorites on Amazon, and seeing what other people also buy. If you are a Prime member, you also get 2 free advanced books every month, and with a Kindle, you have the lending library as well. My Kindle library is out of control - I've been using Kindle Unlimited to keep that more manageable & it's easy for me.
The Hunger Games / Divergent / Ender's Game / Maze Runner series are great also, are fun reads, and give you a bit more time with the characters as part of a series.
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The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi and The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi are both amazing, deep, engrossing books with worlds of their own. I cannot recommend them enough.
Also, China Mieville's books are pretty awesome, though more urban fantasy than SciFi. Still worth a read.
This post reminded me of a guy I met on holiday a few weeks ago, who had been working with the author of this monstrosity and lent me a copy... so much raughter (rage + laughter).
It this image intrigues you I highly recommend you read Krakken by China Mieville.
The Book of the New Sun
Forgot to add its only [six bucks] (http://www.amazon.com/Station-Eleven-Emily-John-Mandel-ebook/dp/B00J1IQUYM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415383829&sr=8-1&keywords=station+eleven) on Amazon for kindle!
I bet you can find it cheaper but it is part of this version that includes Forever War, Forever Free, and unrelated piece Forever Peace.
http://www.amazon.com/Peace-War-The-Omnibus-Edition/dp/0575079193/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413034588&sr=8-1&keywords=the+forever+war+omnibus%5D
> further understanding of Christianity
https://www.amazon.com/Sources-Catholic-Dogma-Henry-Denzinger/dp/1930278225
https://www.logos.com/product/5206/summa-contra-gentiles
https://www.amazon.com/Treasure-Tradition-Ultimate-Guide-Latin/dp/193663936X
https://www.amazon.com/Hell-Its-Torments-Robert-Bellarmine/dp/0895554097/
https://www.amazon.com/Great-Heresies-Hilaire-Belloc-ebook/dp/B00V2S7OQ2/
>and how people practice and live with their faith
https://www.amazon.com/Imitation-Christ-Dover-Thrift-Editions/dp/0486431851
https://www.amazon.com/Way-Perfection-Image-Classics/dp/0385065396
https://www.amazon.com/Story-Soul-Autobiography-Therese-Lisieux/dp/0935216588/
>Fiction
https://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0395974682
https://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Was-Thursday/dp/1603863303
>nonfiction
https://www.amazon.com/Orthodoxy-G-K-Chesterton/dp/1515241394
https://www.amazon.com/Heretics-Gilbert-K-Chesterton/dp/1490303022
https://www.amazon.com/Revolt-Masses-José-Ortega-Gasset/dp/0393310957/
https://www.amazon.com/Reality-Synthesis-Thomistic-Reginald-Garrigou-Lagrange/dp/1453612661/
> If I weren’t out here every day battling the white man, I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity—because you can hardly mention anything I’m not curious about. -Malcolm X
Most Helpful For Me:
-The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Fiction)
Uplifting Inspiration:
-Life Lines: Holding On (and Letting Go) (Beacon Press)
-The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine ($0.99 ebook)
-The Jefferson Bible: The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth ($0.99 ebook; Beacon Press)
-A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power by former Pres. Jimmy Carter
-How Should We Live?: Great Ideas from the Past for Everyday Life
-The Art of InterGroup Peace (Free PDF ebook.)
-Place, Not Race: A New Vision of Opportunity in America (Speaks of the pitfalls of college affirmative action, yet, the lessons apply beyond that as well; Beacon Press.)
Philanthropy/Social Enterprises:
-The Moral Measure of the Economy
-To Uphold the World: A Call for a New Global Ethic from Ancient India (Buddhist-inspired governing/economics; Beacon Press)
-A Force for Good: The Dalai Lama's Vision for Our World
-Our Day to End Poverty: 24 Ways You Can Make a Difference
-The Power of Partnership: Seven Relationships that Will Change Your Life
-Toxic Charity: How the Church Hurts Those They Help and How to Reverse It
-Charity Detox: What Charity Would Look Like If We Cared About Results by the author of Toxic Charity
-Inspired Philanthropy: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Giving Plan and Leaving a Legacy
Self-Care:
-Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others
-This Is Where You Belong: The Art and Science of Loving the Place You Live
-Everyday Spiritual Practice: Simple Pathways for Enriching Your Life (Skinner House Books)
Children:
-Critical Lessons: What our Schools Should Teach
-Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs
-Three Key Years: Talk - Read - Play - Sing To Support & Help Every Child in America (Free PDF ebook.)
Nature/Wildlife:
-The Ten Trusts: What We Must Do to Care for The Animals We Love by Jane Goodall & Marc Bekoff
-The Souls of Animals by UU Rev. Gary Kowalski
-Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature
Embassytown by China Mieville is a recent one in which humans co-exist with the native sentient aliens on another planet. The mode of communication and interactions between the two species is unlike any book I've read, I'd really recommend it.
http://www.amazon.com/Embassytown-China-Mieville/dp/0345524500
Oh, I'm all about this. Station Eleven is phenomenal and definitely qualifies as "near future dystopian".
Also check out The End is Nigh, The End is Now, and The End Has Come; together they compose a triptych of pre-Apocalyptic, Apocalyptic, and post-Apocalyptic short stories.
I'm cool with O'Tooles! I liked that place. The other China Mieville book we were talking about is Embassytown about human colonists living on a world with aliens that can only speak to genetically engineered pairs of twins, and who never discovered how to lie. Lots of cool ideas about biotechnology and what language can mean.
A few books I read recently (within the last couple of years) that really stand out for me:
Non-fiction:
Fiction:
Unfortunately the two fictional books aren't easy reads. Not difficult, mind you, but not as straightforwardly easy as, say, The Road. But I think they're engrossing enough that you'll get sucked in nevertheless.
I hope this helps!
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
Every Day by David Levithan
Tree of Codes by Jonathan Safran Foer
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Middlesex by Jeffrey Euginides won a Pulitzer. It's protagonist is queer - don't want to put a finer point on it than that so I don't give away any plot.
Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg - main character is a butch lesbian in the 1950s.
The Passionate Mistakes and Intricate Corruption of One Girl in America and Valencia both by Michelle Tea.
Beebo Brinker by Ann Bannon is a classic of Lesbian Pulp fiction.
RubyFruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown is another classic.
And as others have mentioned, Sarah Waters (highly recommend Tipping the Velvet), Alison Bechdel, and Jeanette Winterson.
I keep on trying to start The Forever War by Joe Haldeman (well, this version technically) but I'm having trouble starting it due to massive Harry Potter audiobook addiction.
[http://www.amazon.com/Mezzanine-Nicholson-Baker/dp/080214490X](The Mezzanine)
I think a perfect next step would be some Haruki Murakami. If you made it through Infinite Jest and House of Leaves, then I'd recommend The Wind Up Bird Chronicle. If you're looking for something shorter, I'd recommend A Wild Sheep Chase
Kraken - China Miéville
Amazon
I really like the clurichaun ever since I read about it in Yeats' Irish Folk and Fairy Tales.
Well, after I read the sample chapter on his website, it is almost a direct rip-off of this guy: The Alabaster Girl
Not sure if the entire book is like this, but it sure doesn't seem original or new.
One of my favourites, the Peace and War Saga by Joe Haldeman. Its a collection of his three books:
The Forever War, Forever Free, and Forever Peace.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Peace-War-Omnibus-Forever-GOLLANCZ/dp/0575079193/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394617961&sr=1-1&keywords=peace+and+war
[classic choice] (http://www.amazon.com/East-Eden-Penguin-Modern-Classics-ebook/dp/B001BC5HXG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397074271&sr=8-1&keywords=east+of+eden)
[New fiction] (http://www.amazon.com/Middlesex-Novel-Jeffrey-Eugenides-ebook/dp/B002HHPVPS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397074374&sr=8-1&keywords=middlesex)
[Light Nonfiction read] (http://www.amazon.com/Pluto-Files-Americas-Favorite-Planet-ebook/dp/B001NLKXF2/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397074425&sr=1-8&keywords=neil+degrasse+tyson)
[Not light nonfiction read] (http://www.amazon.com/Prize-Winner-Defiance-Ohio-Mother-ebook/dp/B000FC0T18/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397074469&sr=1-1&keywords=prizewinner+of+defiance+ohio)
[Biography. If you love your mom, you'll love this book.] (http://www.amazon.com/Prize-Winner-Defiance-Ohio-Mother-ebook/dp/B000FC0T18/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397074469&sr=1-1&keywords=prizewinner+of+defiance+ohio)
[Audio Book option.] (http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Stephen-King-ebook/dp/B000FC0SIM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397074772&sr=1-1&keywords=on+writing+stephen+king)
Thanks. I can't claim credit for it, though. I'm repurposing the quote and taking it horribly out of context from the novel A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami.
Below includes links to the amazon page, which has identification numbers you can use for other sites, but since many of these titles share comic/manga names, it can be confusing telling the difference. Also, I think everything but Another and Baccano have a good fan translation done as of now, and he may have already read it (at least first volumes) and is not interested in a physical copy of them, so I would ask.
If he likes the idea of a game esque world (very popular right now for some reason), I would recomend Rising of the Shield Hero, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon, and Log Horizon.
For more typical fantasy styled light novels, Spice and Wolf, Another, A certain Magical Index, No Game, No Life, The Devil Is A Part-Timer, and soon to be release Baccano.
A lot of the themes and even specific details in POE lore remind me of The Book of the New Sun which is one of my all-time favourites. I don't know if GGG was influenced by it in general, but the unique sword Terminus Est is a direct reference.
\ Including fallen/falling Rome-esque empires, desire for immortality portrayed as evil, some humans descended to barbarism, ancient technology, mirrors, sprawling libraries, rose-like weapons, animated statues in a Roman emperor's garden, unreliable narrators, etc. (Obviously some of these are generic, but all in one thing is interesting...).
It will still take some time.
I was so beguiled by this [cover for Kraken by China Mieville] (http://www.amazon.com/Kraken-China-Mieville/dp/034549749X/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1408672018&sr=1-1) that I bought the book to see what it was all about. I prefer to read a book knowing nothing about the story, and I know that Mieville was supposed to be a very skilled and innovative SciFi/Fantasy author, and so I took a leap. I very much enjoyed the book, although I'm sure it wouldn't be for everyone. It's an insane ride through a putative spiritual underworld in London, a teeming society where broken gods and sorcerers gather and hash out their strange rivalries. A pair of cops specializing in cases that deal with magic are on the trail of an impossible crime, and much centers on a strange cult that worships giant squids. (Hence the title.)
Anyhow, this is still one of my favorite covers. Very evocative!
it comes and goes. For me its very seasonal, in the winter the spark dies out and I'm in survival mode. I always get depressed, but less so each year and I get much better at dealing with it. This is a great time for me right now because its spring and I'm getting the spark back day by day. So just understand that you're not doing anything wrong, it's just how things go so don't reach for what made you happy in another time.
It's time to ground yourself in life and also kind of go into survival mode, value calmness and tranquility instead of euphoria and deep understanding. It's like that amazing book The Alchemist where the boy has to learn the wisdom of the desert. Desert wisdom is really what you need right now, if you can meditate on that. And check out that book, I think you'll like it.
Got to recommend:
House of Leaves, Mezzanine and Nadja. The Raw Shark Texts, Astronomical
The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton ( The Secret Keeper: A Novel https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007EECSFA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_6lnJDbXKCNBKK )
The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams ( The Secret Life of Violet Grant (The Schuler Sisters Novels) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0425274845/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_agnJDbGQCZSZS )
(Actually, any book by these two authors. They are wonderful)
The Magic Circle by Katherine Neville ( The Magic Circle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YTFTB2K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_4mnJDbT5PRE0K ). This is on sale right now at $2.00
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
( Garden Spells: A Novel (Waverly Family) https://www.amazon.com/dp/055338483X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_uunJDb2P5VPHX )
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (which is a pseudonym for J.K. Rowling) ( The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike Book 1) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AA20E5Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_WwnJDbGFGZNJP)
The Light Novel and the Manga have been licensed in English by Yen Press, first volume of the LN got released last week, official release of manga will come during 2015.
Volume 1:【Book Depository】【Amazon】
W.B. Yeats had a few books specifically about Celtic Fae, like the one linked above by u/Sir_Bevis_of_Hampton:
I have this one and really enjoy it.
I just stumbled upon S. by Doug Durst and JJ Abrams which sort of falls into this category as well. There's a "people who viewed this also liked..." rabbit hole to venture on from there. I should've thought of that first!
Edit: Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker, from what limited preview is available, also seems to use a footnote format that could be appropriated.
Thank you for your help. You seem to always be dispensing quality advice in general for a single upvote.
I enjoyed the two Robert Galbraith (aka J. K. Rowling) books, The Cuckoo's Calling and The Silkworm. For something more psychological and less detective, perhaps Dennis Lehane. Of his books, I've only read Shutter Island, which does have a twist, assuming you haven't seen the movie or heard anything about the story. I also highly recommend Tom Rob Smith's Child 44 (I haven't read his other books by I plan to!)
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
You can read a portion of the opening chapter here.
i just finished Station Eleven and loved it.
http://www.amazon.com/Station-Eleven-Emily-John-Mandel-ebook/dp/B00J1IQUYM
I ain't birthed no babies!
This makes me happy :) Its my go-to show when I'm feeling down.
You should get Cuckoo's Calling!!
Happy Birfday!
the ability to discriminate which minds get to see your mind. The Quantum Thief is set is an incredibly bizarre post-human far-future solar system...I can't even adequately describe it. I'm currently half-way through the book and if anyone has even the slightest interest in futurism, transhumanism, and science-fiction in general, then this is one of the best offerings right now.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Quantum-Thief-Hannu-Rajaniemi/dp/0765329492?tag=duckduckgo-d-20
I was going to call you out, because that book is not about alchemy.
Then it turns out there are actually two books called The Alchemist written by a guy called Paolo, and you're talking about the other one.
Elmore Leonard wrote the books that the show Justified is based off. I personally really enjoyed the Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling). You might also want to check out Tess Gerritsen (Rizzoli and Isles) or Louise Penny.
These are not so much popular, light reading books, but they are well written, thoughtful and enjoyable without being too heavy. A good step from the deeper classics but not all the way down.
If you're looking for something more mainstream, these popular authors are more Reiner than Zemeckis:
and of course,
Impossible to read in a digital format:
Not quite as impossible, but still difficult or not the same experience:
Similarly, this author took newspaper articles and blacked out most of the words, leaving poetry.
by Mark Z. Danielewski — Insane formatting, colored words, and many footnotes and appendices.
If you havent tried Murakami, read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle: A Novel, if you like that read A Wild Sheep Chase: A Novel
Hannu Rajaniemi's The Quantum Thief.
wikipedia | amazon
I own this complete copy of New Sun. I got it for $11.67 on Amazon, so the price fluctuates wildly.
It's a complete copy.
The original SAO LN in Japan is way past the anime. (A good 2 seasons or so.) In English, it's been published up to the end of the first season with the first arc of the second season coming out on the 15th. (Phantom Bullet) The anime adapts through to volume 8.
The SAO: Progressive series is a re-write of the first arc and hasn't been adapted beyond a single chapter. It's a really good read for those that are interested in what SAO should originally have been. The manga version of it is a silly adaption where it tells the story from another character's perspective while focusing on comedy.
Not sure about other kinds of LNs he might like considering it's hard to get an accurate sense of taste just from the series listed. Going based off the genres, Danmachi is a really enjoyable growth adventure action series I consistently look forward to the next volume of.
A Certain Magical Index is a series I love as the story is always becoming more and more exciting with some of the best writing from an author out of many light novels. The English publication isn't past the anime yet but the anime does butcher some of the arcs so it's worth it to start from the beginning. A companion to this series would be the A Certain Scientific Railgun manga which is also very action orientated.
Tate no Yuusha is an LN series without an anime adaption that got licensed in English. It's a pretty good adventure series that he might like. It's a safe bet for something he's probably not experienced yet I think. Only 2 volumes published in English so far.
Station Eleven: A novel https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J1IQUYM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_-j.4AbF34FJQ1
that was easy
this book would be awesome!!!
i dont have one of me with a pet.. how about one of me with a giant parrot!!
I guess I mostly figured Nomi would be there because he was already such a weird and wonderful character when he was alive.
I missed Woodring when he came to a signing in Norway (Norwegian here) not too long ago. I didn't find out about it until a week or so later. I was rather annoyed after that. You're lucky you got to draw with him! That he even manages to draw with that large of a pen is insane. Oh and your op art pic is very nice. It's also really making my head hurt. Very Escher like in that sense.
And it's funny you should say you don't get lost in books like you used to; Murakami is usually my go-to solution when I need some delicious escapism that still manages to provoke some thoughts. This was the book that got me into him to begin with. A strange and curious journey centered around an even curiouser metaphysical farm animal!
And at least sf cover art is usually at least slightly more tasteful than fantasy covers. I still remember hiding Wheel Of Time covers on the bus because they looked more like kiosk romance novel covers starring Fabio than anything else. Urgh. Rockets and space tentacleoids are helvetica in comparison to Darrel K. Sweets atrocious comic sans.
I looked at the tarot deck, and it looks very intriguing. The cards are very beautiful. Is it an actual actual standard tarot deck you can use for readings and whatnot? Although I have a pathological lack of belief in anything supernatural I still find the artistry and aesthetics behind tarot decks quite fascinating.
Oh and lastly, you really do seem to be as cool as I previously suspected. Wanna be friends? :D
http://www.amazon.com/Fairy-Tales-Ireland-William-Butler/dp/0684829525
Great stuff in a somewhat similar vein.
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.
Kraken by China Mieville - Museum curator gets sucked into an underworld of magic that he didn't know existed.
http://www.amazon.com/Kraken-China-Mieville/dp/0345497503
Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi - a race of ugly, smelly aliens wants to contact humanity but they have a slight image problem. The solution? They hire an agent of course.
http://www.amazon.com/Agent-Stars-John-Scalzi-ebook/dp/B001ANYC96/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416629673&sr=1-1&keywords=agent+to+the+stars
This reads like a footnote from The Mezzanine. Although slightly less neurotic.
Archives for links in comments:
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I am Mnemosyne 2.0, We watch. And we are always here.^^^^/r/botsrights ^^^^Contribute ^^^^Website
pretty🍢good
>Their conversion just proves that despite the gift of intelligence, one is nevertheless susceptible to irrational beliefs.
How is it irrational when these people gave rational reasons for their belief in the truth of the Christian religion? Check out any of their books/writings. Are Edward Feser's The Last Supersition and 5 Proofs irrational? What about Chesterton's The Everlasting Man and Orthodoxy? What about Alaisdair Macintyre's After Virtue?
>You said he wasn't a Christian yet. Did he accept Jesus as his savior? That is the requirement for salvation from what I know.
Looks like your only idea of Christianity is Protestant Christianity (in fairness to Protestant denominations though, many of them are nuanced in their views on this issue and would disagree with the assertion that only Christians are saved). The Catholic Church which was founded by Christ himself disagrees, and so do the other apostolic orthodox churches (Eastern Orthodox and Coptic Orthodox).
>What other ways would this be?
I quoted official teaching, didn't you read it?
>You know this how?
Because they themselves shared their reasons for converting/believing in the truth of Christianity (for non-converts) in their talks, books and writings? How else dude?
>What's this evidence that others converted over?
A lot -- philosophical, scientific and historical evidence.
Philosophical: The traditional cosmological arguments (given by the great thinkers of the Western philosophical tradition -- Plato, Aristotle, Maimonides, Aquinas, Leibiniz, etc) for the God of classical theism, the argument from consciousness, the moral argument and others.
Science: The Kalam Cosmological argument, the fine-tuning argument, the argument from biological teleology, and the argument from the laws of nature.
History: the argument from Jesus' miracles, the historical case for the Resurrection, Catholic miracles, and the religious experiences and mystical gifts of countless Christian saints. I lay this out these arguments briefly in this post.
>Because of this outright lie and string of labels thrown at me:
Nah, my assessment is self evident from what you wrote. A silly absolute statement like "no Christian ever believed in his faith on the basis of reason and evidence" is extremely telling...especially given that you doubled down on your erroneous views after being given abundantly clear evidence.
This book is an excellent collection of irish ghost stories, not all of them are ghost stories but there are a lot of them in there http://www.amazon.com/Fairy-Tales-Ireland-William-Butler/dp/0684829525
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/33887/33887-h/33887-h.htm
That's a tall order!
Some books that similarly acknowledge the book you're holding as complicit in the story, or bring in multimedia elements, might include Tree of Codes by Jonathan Safran Foer, Night Film by Marisha Pessl, A Humument by Tom Phillips, or S by J. J. Abrams and Doug Dorst. The Raw Shark Texts also plays with words on the page in an interesting way.
I also liked Danielewski's Only Revolutions. It's not on par with House of Leaves but it is a unique read: two protagonists tell the same story from their own perspective. As the book progresses, each chapter gets shorter and the font gets smaller, like the tale is spiraling in on itself. And when you've finished one character's story you literally flip the book upside down to start the other's. (Danielewski recommends reading one chapter from one side, then the corresponding chapter from the other, as you go. The hardcover includes two bookmarks for this purpose.)
I'm not really going hardcore over the break, but my goals have really become my routine so I don't think I'll change much of what I do.
Yesterday was pretty relaxing - made some excellent spicy hot cocoa and read a few samples of books on my Kindle. Still can't decide what I want to read next. Right now it's a toss up between Something Rich and Strange, Station 11 and In Light of What We Know.
Today it's raining cats and dogs, and CrossFit has been cancelled.
I think I'm going to brave the deluge and try to get in at least a mile or two, then do some body weight exercises. Then pasta tonight! Maybe I'll build a fire in the fireplace too.EDIT: Yea, streets are flooded - not gonna be running in this mess. :-/ Goodbye, run streak. It was a good 13 days. At least I did some bodyweight exercises.
This collection by Yeats is my favourite. There are some weird and wonderful tales in it, all put neatly in different sections like "The Trooping Faeries" and "The Solitary Faeries".
http://www.amazon.com/The-Cuckoos-Calling-Cormoran-Strike/dp/0316206857
"Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides is by far one of my top five favorite books of all time. It's a novel with some really bizarre themes, but so incredibly compelling. If you've already read it, let me know and I'll find something else!
Edited to add: don't go reading reviews because spoilers. But I will tell you... incest and hermaphrodites and family drama. Yet most of the characters are compelling and likable. Same author who wrote "The Virgin Suicides." Seriously, I've read this book maybe seven or eight times. It is THAT good.
A copy of Dark Places used in decent condition would be sweet :D
For $10, I'd buy myself J.K. Rowling's new book!
I'm a big boy now :D
On Friday I'm going to be going to the first cross-country (scrimmage) meet of the season!
It's gonna be the best week ever! Cuckoo's Calling would be awesome, but anything is fine:)
I'm merely pointing out one possibility however it's the possibility I believe has the highest probability of being true. You're trying to ask me what has influenced me in this direction. I would have to tell you it has to do with direct experience with phenomena that falls outside the realm of everyday ordinary reality. To go into it here would make too many people uncomfortable and since it was my direct experience it is not something easily provable or transferable. In other words I could tell you but you'd never believe me and I'd have no way to prove it, so I might as well not even go there.
I can however furnish you with reading material that may eventually help you have your own direct experience of non-ordinary reality which might lead to your own revelations.
some of these links will be amazon links but I'm not getting paid by them no worries.
You can do it with buddhist meditation here is a decent guidebook: http://www.interactivebuddha.com/mctb.shtml
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/
here are some other resources that may be helpful.
http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/nhl.html
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0880103728
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1882692047
http://www.amazon.com/Not-His-Image-Gnostic-Ecology/dp/193149892X
http://www.workofthechariot.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Cosmic-Trigger-Final-Secret-Illuminati/dp/1561840033
http://www.amazon.com/Valis-Philip-K-Dick/dp/0679734465
http://www.amazon.com/Tibetan-Dream-Yoga-Complete-Conscious/dp/156455743X
You could always just go the lazy route and eat 6 grams of dried psilocybe cubensis alone in a silent dark room. I hear that works for a lot of people but it's not really what I'm into. :)
good luck!
Well, my faves are:
They aren't all of my favorites, but they are some of the top ones.
Welcome back!
My favorite song is the Christmas Shoes.
[This would be great!] (http://www.amazon.com/KONG-Pudge-Braidz-Medium-Large/dp/B0090Z9FFC/ref=sr_1_13?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1448989131&sr=1-13&keywords=dog+toy&refinements=p_36%3A-500)
Or [I've been wanting to read The Cuckoo's Calling for a long time.] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0316206857/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_1_olp?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1448989887&sr=1-1&keywords=the+cuckoo%27s+calling)
I would suggest Orthodoxy.
It's perfect for a group setting because it's written in a flowing and pleasurable style, with each chapter being a brief exploration of an idea - many of which are original and even quirky suggestions (like the one about how we should love being in this reality with the same attitude with which a patriot loves his country - no matter how good or bad it is), which lend themselves pretty easily to discussion.
I'm fairly certain all languages (even unwritten ones) have stuff like metaphor. That's basically the premise of Lakoff's Metaphors We Live By. And all languages have idioms/euphemisms as well (look at how people talk about death, bodily functions). One possible exception for a lot of things is ASL, which is notorious for avoiding euphemism (though this may be a feature of Deaf culture, not the language). ASL does have idioms etc. though.
A language without figures of speech. This sounds like a good scifi premise. Actually, it sounds a lot like China Mieville's Embassytown.
Fahrenheit 451: http://www.superterrain.fr/f451/en/
Tree of Codes: BookDepository, AbeBooks, Amazon
Oh shit, I've never seen that episode. Could it have been the basis for China Mieville's Embassytown? There's a similar theme of "aliens creating metaphors to enhance their language."
Haruki Marukami's A Wild Sheep Chase
As a serious answer:
"Yes, but....." It’s already possible to integrate neural cells to electronics:
http://www.inc.com/magazine/20091201/innovation-giving-sight-to-the-blind.html
but broadcasting thoughts would take more work. We don’t fully understand what makes up a specific “thought” yet, and once we do, we will have to come up with a method of transmission and playback, since the brain doesn’t communicate in something like TCP/IP.
Probably an early adaptation of the concept would look like what is done in Strange Days:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114558/
Which is a fantastic (if rather kinky) movie based around the ability to record and play back experiences.
If you want some really good far-future concepts around human/computer interface, take a look at "The Quantum Thief” by “Hannu OhJesusI’mNotGoingToTryAndPronounceThatLastName.”
http://www.amazon.com/The-Quantum-Thief-Hannu-Rajaniemi/dp/0765329492
He’s going some amazing concepts around both interface and what exactly is “self”.
(please forgive typos…. It’s late)
unless you like anime/manga/games my WL won't interest you.. but if you do like them or anime books (or feel like introduced to the amazing world of Light Novels) you might want this.
https://www.amazon.com/Alabaster-Girl-Zan-Perrion/product-reviews/0992016606/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_show_all_top?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=avp_only_reviews
Here's a book that's a penny + 3.99 shipping.
Garfield loves lasagna! Thanks for the contest. :)
Dark Places by Gilliam Flynn is a must read. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0307341577?pc_redir=1404049844&robot_redir=1