John Fowles, The Magus.
also An Equel Music, By Vikram Seth
also An Equel Music, By Vikram Seth
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Good Books?
- Thread starter Fantasy/Nightmare
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my favorite "classics" that I think everybody should read are
Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky
Cat's Cradle/Slaughterhouse-Five by Vonnegut
Mrs. Dalloway by Woolf
Hunger by Hamsun
Nausea by Sartre
Lolita by Nabokov
and not exactly as canonical but:
the Rabbit series (Rabbit, Run epecially) by Updike
Portnoy's Complaint by Roth
I've read a lot of classics, but these are really the ones I genuinely enjoyed.
awesome, dude!
post-russell you may as well just dive into actual works. philosophy is, for the most part, surprisingly easy reading - a lot of major works sit at around a hundred pages (mill's on liberty, berkeley's principles of human knowledge and three dialogues, locke's second treatise of government, descartes' discourse on method and meditations, a lot of nietzsche, a lot of kierkegaard, most of aristotle, all of plato except the republic, wittgenstein's tractatus logico-philosophicus)
unfortunately practically every philosopher is an awful writer (or has an awful translator). some, like hume and late-period wittgenstein, are rather charming but they're the exception - expect to be bored; you will have to force yourself through a lot of stuff that really would have been edited out by a good prose writer
the germans in particular have tended to be very dry, academic and difficult since kant
logical analysis is like walking through mud, but it is very rewarding
i would probably try to find a light philosophy textbook or something immediately after russell, just to make sure you're getting another perspective on everybody. he can be a little unfair on some important people
post-russell you may as well just dive into actual works. philosophy is, for the most part, surprisingly easy reading - a lot of major works sit at around a hundred pages (mill's on liberty, berkeley's principles of human knowledge and three dialogues, locke's second treatise of government, descartes' discourse on method and meditations, a lot of nietzsche, a lot of kierkegaard, most of aristotle, all of plato except the republic, wittgenstein's tractatus logico-philosophicus)
unfortunately practically every philosopher is an awful writer (or has an awful translator). some, like hume and late-period wittgenstein, are rather charming but they're the exception - expect to be bored; you will have to force yourself through a lot of stuff that really would have been edited out by a good prose writer
the germans in particular have tended to be very dry, academic and difficult since kant
logical analysis is like walking through mud, but it is very rewarding
i would probably try to find a light philosophy textbook or something immediately after russell, just to make sure you're getting another perspective on everybody. he can be a little unfair on some important people
most works philosophy are pretty tough reading and you'll have trouble extracting what they're trying to say from the jargon-filled, dense writing without the aid of a professor. Of course, it differs between philosophers and between translators.
One thing I've found more enjoyable than reading straight works of philosophy is reading literature with strong philosophical underpinnings. I found Sartre's Being and Nothingness all but unreadable, however, I found his novel Nausea and his play No Exit, to be very illuminating and entertaining. There are many many important novels that have deep ties to philosophy, notably from writers like Dostoevsky, Camus, Sartre, Kafka, Conrad, Mann, and tons of others. I've found them to be good supplements to the often unbearable works of straight up philosophy. However, these writers are mostly focused on existentialism and other more modern developments in philosophy. For more classic philosophy there isn't really any substitute for the works themselves.
Not to paint all philosophy as boring and unreadable, just a lot of it is. Nietzsche is very readable. Kierkegaard is in some cases (mostly diary of a seducer and fear and trembling)
One thing I've found more enjoyable than reading straight works of philosophy is reading literature with strong philosophical underpinnings. I found Sartre's Being and Nothingness all but unreadable, however, I found his novel Nausea and his play No Exit, to be very illuminating and entertaining. There are many many important novels that have deep ties to philosophy, notably from writers like Dostoevsky, Camus, Sartre, Kafka, Conrad, Mann, and tons of others. I've found them to be good supplements to the often unbearable works of straight up philosophy. However, these writers are mostly focused on existentialism and other more modern developments in philosophy. For more classic philosophy there isn't really any substitute for the works themselves.
Not to paint all philosophy as boring and unreadable, just a lot of it is. Nietzsche is very readable. Kierkegaard is in some cases (mostly diary of a seducer and fear and trembling)
Generally anything by James Patterson is incredible, especially the Maximum Ride series. For some reason, there are a lot of people that do not know about the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. If you haven't read them yet, you should consider it, if not for the amazing artwork on the cover of the books, rather than the quality of the writing inside.
My AP Government teacher loves to categorize books as either "entertaining" (examples include a lot of modern fiction, such as the Harry Potter series and the Twilight series) or "intellectually stimulating." Does anybody around here do strange things like that?
My AP Government teacher loves to categorize books as either "entertaining" (examples include a lot of modern fiction, such as the Harry Potter series and the Twilight series) or "intellectually stimulating." Does anybody around here do strange things like that?
Really? I'm surprised. Maybe they just didn't appeal to you.
I came in here to say this, even though it has a very strong following. An absolute Masterpiece.
I couldn't read A Song of Ice and Fire. The characters were astonishingly well written, it's just that all of them are so loathesome I couldn't bring myself to follow their stories, I just hated them all so much.
The greatest book I have ever read, in terms of sheer literary brilliance, is Mark Z. Danielewski's "House of Leaves". It is the shining paragon example of what printexd text can do for storytelling that no other medium can. It is both a gripping and complex story, with masterful construction, pacing, and ingenius esoterism.
It has a cult following, but not a big mainstream audience. If you are at all interested in reading it, I -HIGHLY- recommend getting hold of this book, especially the full-colour edition which is bound a half inch wider than the front cover, which also comes complete with the Appendix "The Whalestoe Letters", which reveal several layers to various scenes in the main book.
Without actually spoiling it, House of Leaves is a book about a thesis written by a blind old man, editted by a drug addict, about a video documentary (that may or may not exist) about a family who buy a house that is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.
The most enjoyable literary mindfuck of the decade.
The greatest book I have ever read, in terms of sheer literary brilliance, is Mark Z. Danielewski's "House of Leaves". It is the shining paragon example of what printexd text can do for storytelling that no other medium can. It is both a gripping and complex story, with masterful construction, pacing, and ingenius esoterism.
It has a cult following, but not a big mainstream audience. If you are at all interested in reading it, I -HIGHLY- recommend getting hold of this book, especially the full-colour edition which is bound a half inch wider than the front cover, which also comes complete with the Appendix "The Whalestoe Letters", which reveal several layers to various scenes in the main book.
Without actually spoiling it, House of Leaves is a book about a thesis written by a blind old man, editted by a drug addict, about a video documentary (that may or may not exist) about a family who buy a house that is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.
The most enjoyable literary mindfuck of the decade.
the Shannara books are pretty elementary when it comes to fantasy. they were my introduction to the genre, and were good when i read them years ago, but i tried to re-read the original trilogy a few years ago and simply couldn't get through it.
however, The First King of Shannara, a prequel, is solid because it doesn't borrow/steal from every fantasy book ever written.
i would recommend Running With the Demon if i was going to recommend a Terry Brooks book, as it's a fresh take on magic et cetera in the modern age. great book.
fuck yes fuck yes fuck yes.
A Song of Ice and Fire is one of the most intriguing and well-written series of books i've ever read. the characters become real in your mind, and you actually legitimately care about what happens to them.
and i'm currently making my way through King's massive body of work. The Dark Tower was my intro, and needs to be read by everyone. others i would recommend are The Talisman, Thinner and so far Black House is great.
how could you possibly not like Jon, Arya, Breanna or even The Imp? how much did you actually read? all his characters have flaws, which make them even more real.
and FUCK YOU DUDE! just kidding i love you. <3
i came in here to recommend this mindfuck, read every post of the thread to make sure it hadn't been mentioned already, was glad to be able to be the first to laud it...and then i read THE LAST FUCKING POST OF THE THREAD.
but seriously, read it. House of Leaves is the only book i've ever read that made me cry, not because i was sad, but because i was terrified out of my mind.
to get the full experience you need to READ EVERY WORD YOU POSSIBLY CAN. that doesn't make sense right now, but it will hen you start reading it. it also helps if you're alone in a dim room with something like this playing in the background.
i would also recommend the fantasy saga The Wheel of Time. it has many detractors, but again, it's so completely expansive and intricate, it draws you in to the world presented.
for a piece of classic literature, get Watership Down.
@Desch: I got about a quarter or a third through the first book, and I just couldn't find it in me to continue because the character were so well-written; It is precisely because of how flawed and real they are that I despise them so. The TV series is currently in production, and being as it is a more passive medium, I may find more enjoyment from that. I respect the degree of writing, but just don't enjoy the experience of the book.
I read like 6 books of Wheel of Time, and I liked the first 4 or so, because they were good. That's about the time that Jordan realised he was on to a good thing, and fell into the same pitfalls a number of writers do, which is" he has too many ideas and tries to fit them all into the same story. Thus the stories began getting stretched and stretched as Jordan put off actually writing the conclusion and kept fitting in spinoffs and extra detail that wasn't really concerned with the main plot, and that's when I stopped reading. Then lo and behold, he dies before penning the finale. I was not surprised.
To be honest, I find The Wheel of Time to be a disappointment, because there are so many great authors with comparable skill in story and characters in the same genre, and they actually give you closure to the story.
I read like 6 books of Wheel of Time, and I liked the first 4 or so, because they were good. That's about the time that Jordan realised he was on to a good thing, and fell into the same pitfalls a number of writers do, which is" he has too many ideas and tries to fit them all into the same story. Thus the stories began getting stretched and stretched as Jordan put off actually writing the conclusion and kept fitting in spinoffs and extra detail that wasn't really concerned with the main plot, and that's when I stopped reading. Then lo and behold, he dies before penning the finale. I was not surprised.
To be honest, I find The Wheel of Time to be a disappointment, because there are so many great authors with comparable skill in story and characters in the same genre, and they actually give you closure to the story.
Battle Royale: My favorite action-thriller. Amazing.
The Ender's Series: An amazing science fiction series by Orson Scott Card
Watership Down: A story about Rabbits. It's awesome!
The Ender's Series: An amazing science fiction series by Orson Scott Card
Watership Down: A story about Rabbits. It's awesome!
I have been looking everywhere for a copy: it's like the biggest banned book in existence.
The Bartimaeus Trilogy: A rather odd take on magic, but is enjoyable (Bartimaeus' footnotes stand out the most).
When I was growing up, one of my favorite series was the Lost Years of Merlin: again, a rather odd take on a classic tale, but still worth a read (not quite sure how well it does now that I've outgrown it.
You can't go wrong with The Hobbit and LotR, but after reading the Silmarillion, you understand the story a whole lot better (warning: the Silmarillion is a MASSIVE Book, and not for the faint of heart; you could spend years reading it and not understand everything in it).
The Ender's Series is good for a lot of things, but the Ender's Shadow Series is more action oriented, with Bean being so complex a character that Ender seems simple.
I liked the Bartimaeus books.
Something else that's maybe not on the list so far is Neil Gaiman's name-making masterpiece: "The Sandman". It was originally released as 75 paperback comic issues, but they're all linked up into 10 books:
- Preludes and Nocturnes (1-8)
- The Doll's House (9-16)
- Dream Country (17-20)
- Season of Mists (21-28)
- A Game of You (32-37)
- Fables and Reflections (29-31, 38-40, 45)
- Brief Lives (41-49)
- World's End (51-56)
- The Kindly Ones (57-69)
- The Wake (70-75).
These graphic novels are the rival to Alan Moore's "Watchmen" as the greatest comic book of all time, and they are legally and freely available for reading on the website www.htmlcomics.com. They are one of the examples of how comics can be as well written and mature as a standard novel. The characters are deep, the story complex and nuanced.
Something else that's maybe not on the list so far is Neil Gaiman's name-making masterpiece: "The Sandman". It was originally released as 75 paperback comic issues, but they're all linked up into 10 books:
- Preludes and Nocturnes (1-8)
- The Doll's House (9-16)
- Dream Country (17-20)
- Season of Mists (21-28)
- A Game of You (32-37)
- Fables and Reflections (29-31, 38-40, 45)
- Brief Lives (41-49)
- World's End (51-56)
- The Kindly Ones (57-69)
- The Wake (70-75).
These graphic novels are the rival to Alan Moore's "Watchmen" as the greatest comic book of all time, and they are legally and freely available for reading on the website www.htmlcomics.com. They are one of the examples of how comics can be as well written and mature as a standard novel. The characters are deep, the story complex and nuanced.
Philosophical Investigations is always a good read if you're into philosophy in general (Wittgenstein).
Generally though much of the tradition is not readable but can be interesting when writing papers if you like argumentation (though writing papers is obviously not a spare time type of thing). One thing I suggest is stay away from Locke: much of Locke is outdated, and all of it is boring. Locke on identity is his most relevant work but anything on political theory... meh. Hobbes is a better alternative.
Nietzsche is a genius and incredibly readable due to his fantastic ability to appeal to our very core intuitions (and intuitions that are not readily apparent) and his dramatic and literary prose style. Too bad he's a poor philosopher; I always contend that drama/fiction would be more up his alley (its kinda a shame). Generally continentals (especially Derrida) are more interesting reads and can be really creative but their insights can be... bullshitty for a lack of a better word. I generaly sta away from them though (lol only one course) so maybe im not the greatest judge.
Generally though much of the tradition is not readable but can be interesting when writing papers if you like argumentation (though writing papers is obviously not a spare time type of thing). One thing I suggest is stay away from Locke: much of Locke is outdated, and all of it is boring. Locke on identity is his most relevant work but anything on political theory... meh. Hobbes is a better alternative.
Nietzsche is a genius and incredibly readable due to his fantastic ability to appeal to our very core intuitions (and intuitions that are not readily apparent) and his dramatic and literary prose style. Too bad he's a poor philosopher; I always contend that drama/fiction would be more up his alley (its kinda a shame). Generally continentals (especially Derrida) are more interesting reads and can be really creative but their insights can be... bullshitty for a lack of a better word. I generaly sta away from them though (lol only one course) so maybe im not the greatest judge.
A Song of Ice and Fire has surprisingly good characters for fantasy novels, even though some of the prose can be sort of irritating (I think at one point Martin writes something to the effect of "the trees moved like living things". Really.) The last book was a bit of a disappointment though, even with the strong beginning. Unfortunately he will probably die before finishing the series at his writing snail pace.
Also Terry Pratchett and Ursula Le Guin are excellent, and Little, Big by John Crowley is one of the best fantasy novels ever written.
Also Terry Pratchett and Ursula Le Guin are excellent, and Little, Big by John Crowley is one of the best fantasy novels ever written.
Arthur C. Clarke and Mike McQuay: Richter 10. The story of a man's fight against geology, set against a backdrop of an America owned by the Chinese and where racism against blacks has reached extreme levels, with the backlash being the rise of militant Islam amongst the oppressed black community. Epic and compelling, drawing in many of the issues that seem to be faced by the real world today, and difficult to put in a genre. (I suppose it's technically sci-fi, but it's not like any other sci-fi I've read). Don't be mislead by the authorship - while the concept was Clarke's, it seems the bulk of the actual writing is by McQuay.
To keep up with my 100 books thing, I read quite a number of books over winter break. The sad part is that there's no way i can make it to 100 books while balancing course work :(
I read Blindness by Saramago. I don't think I'm fond of his writing style, but it was very good. I also read a few Murakami books but found them underwhelming ._.
Best book I read in the last month was probably by Alain de Botton though - "How Proust can Change your life" was pretty much one of the most amusing books I've read in a while. His other books have the same sense of humor which is most excellent and to an extent how he analyzes love is utterly amazing.
I'm also tempted to reread all of the Foundation novels.
I read Blindness by Saramago. I don't think I'm fond of his writing style, but it was very good. I also read a few Murakami books but found them underwhelming ._.
Best book I read in the last month was probably by Alain de Botton though - "How Proust can Change your life" was pretty much one of the most amusing books I've read in a while. His other books have the same sense of humor which is most excellent and to an extent how he analyzes love is utterly amazing.
I'm also tempted to reread all of the Foundation novels.