Comments on: Books, books, books!

By: Gertie

Gertie — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 02:04:46 +0000

“Blindness” by Jose Saramengo (he’s a pulitzer winner)- an inteteresting manufacture of what people might do in a situation of chaos and lawlessness. Oh - and no sight to boot.

By: fisch

fisch — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 23:30:47 +0000

Phantom…While Gene Wolfe is probably the best author alive today, and sword and citadel (and the rest of the book of the new sun) is definitely his best work…I don’t think she should start with him. Too in depth stream-of-conscious too quick.

Start with George r r martin.

By: Joe

Joe — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 22:10:08 +0000

“Master of the Game” - Sidney Sheldon

By: Rick Blaine

Rick Blaine — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 21:48:25 +0000

You should read some books that will help you better to understand the White experience.

“V” - Thomas Pynchon
“The Talisman” - Peter Straub and Stephen King
“The Magus” - John Fowles
“Orlando” - Virginia Woolf
“The Great World” - David Malouf
“Martian Chronicles” - Robert Heinlen
“Battlefield Earth” - L. Ron Hubbard
“Ender’s Game” - Orson Scott Card
“The Castle” - Franz Kafka
“Notes from Underground” - Fyodor Dostoevsky
“Three Men In A Boat” - Jerome K. Jerome
“The Big Sleep” - Raymond Chandler
“Waterland” - Graham Swift

By: Dawn Summers

Dawn Summers — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 19:57:46 +0000

Nope. It’s because it’s popular.

By: Joe

Joe — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 18:59:30 +0000

Thought it was pop because if you listen to too much of it you wish to put your head in a vice until it POPs

By: Dawn Summers

Dawn Summers — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 17:52:41 +0000

hey, my music is called pop for a reason! IT’S POPULAR!!!

By: Alceste

Alceste — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 17:49:28 +0000

Although in the case of Dawn’s muscial choices, any comments that could effect a change would be greatly appreciated by those who have ever spent time stuck in a car with Poddy.

By: Mary

Mary — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 17:21:14 +0000

I almost suggested Adventures of Kavalier and Clay too. Another one I left off was Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Froer. Has anyone read or recommend The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem?

Chugarte’s mantra of not commenting on other people’s choices sounds like mine for musical choices!

By: Dawn Summers

Dawn Summers — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 17:13:19 +0000

Middlesex is my favorite book and I love, love love a Prayer for Owen Meany…of course, I am now fascinated by what Chugarte planned to say about other people’s choices…

Is SuperSystem 1 still available for purchase?

Alceste, why would I hate it? Is it a math text?

By: Chugarte

Chugarte — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 16:39:49 +0000

Don’t comment on other people’s choices… don’t comment on other people’s choices…

Lucky Jim - Kingsley Amis
Thank You for Smoking - Christopher Buckley
Adventures of Kavalier and Clay - Michael Chabon
The Master and Margarita - (I can’t believe I can’t remember…)
The Language Instinct - Stephen Pinker

I’m reading Middlesex right now and really enjoying it.

By: PhantomMut

PhantomMut — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 16:39:42 +0000

“Shadow & Claw” and “Sword & Citadel” by Gene Wolfe. (Actually four books packaged as two.) For that matter, any Gene Wolfe is worth reading, but those are his best.

“A River Runs Through It and Other Stories” by Norman Maclean (The movie was good, the book is great.)

If you like light fantasy with more going on underneath than you’d think, Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series will keep you occupied for a long time. (It’s a good idea to read them in order, but not required.)

Okay, back to work.

By: Alceste

Alceste — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 16:02:18 +0000

I’d be happy to lend you the Gaiman books that Joe recommends (which are quite good), but I suspect you would absolutely hate them.

By: David

David — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 14:33:42 +0000

The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. Has some interesting human elements for a sci-fi book.

By: Heather

Heather — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 14:33:30 +0000

Some good non-fiction reads:
Blink, by Malcom Gladwell
Freakonomics, by Steven Levitt
Mountains beyond Mountains, by Tracy kidder
Into thin Air, by Jon Krakauer
Blowing My Cover: My Life as a CIA Spy, by Lindsay Moran

For Mary:
The black jewels trilogy by Anne Bishop

By: Joe

Joe — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 14:14:57 +0000

Super System 1 & 2
Tales from the Tilt Boys
Harrington on Hold ‘em Parts 1-3.

Oh wait.. wrong blog.

Neil Gaimon- Neverwhere
Neil Gaimon- American Gods (went to Rock City because of it)
Philip Roth- Portnoy’s Complaint (but be prepared to squirm at parts)

By: Mary

Mary — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 13:59:20 +0000

Fisch - although I’m a big sci-fi/fantasy fan, I’ve never read any George R. R. Martin, will have to check him out.

As for Scottish authors I almost added Irvine Welsh to my list but figured Dawn wouldn’t like him. I even think the James Ellroy may be too harsh for her but included it (and The Cold Six Thousand) because it has some Vegas bits in it. If only HBO would do American Tabloid as a series…that book would make some good television.

I’ve only read some of the Botswana books by McCall Smith, will have to check out the one above.

Anybody read the new Mark Haddon? I’ve been meaning to pick that up.

My apologies, this is starting to turn into a “books Mary needs to read” instead of the original purpose of suggesting books for Dawn.

By: Pokerwolf

Pokerwolf — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 13:52:31 +0000

A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
Hunting Fish by Jay Greenspan
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore
Expecting Someone Taller by Tom Holt

By: Michael Albert

Michael Albert — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 08:56:58 +0000

Oh yeah, in honour of your (elsewhere) co-blogger’s travels to Edinburgh.

44 Scotland St … Alexander McCall Smith

And its sequel whose title I cannot recall and which is not googling well just at the moment.

By: Fisch

Fisch — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 08:54:22 +0000

Wow Mary!!!
My respect for you has just gone up quite a bit, seeing the godfather of cyberpunk and the story that started it all on your list. Very nice.

A game of thrones-George r. r. martin

By: Michael Albert

Michael Albert — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 08:21:53 +0000

On the humorous front, anything by Jasper Fforde.

By: Mary

Mary — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 05:00:48 +0000

hmm…not even a hint to narrow down the subject matter?

Here’s some that I’d recommend:

Snowcrash, Neal Stephenson
Neuromancer, William Gibson
Winter’s Tale, Mark Helprin
Two Girls Fat and Thin, Mary Gaitskill
White Teeth, Zadie Smith
American Tabloid, The Cold Six Thousand, James Ellroy
Kafka on the Shore, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami
Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides
Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood