KarmaPolice
Footballguy
I read Player Piano. I've also started Slaughterhouse 5 a couple times in my life, but have never gotten through it.
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Whatcha readin now? (book, books, reading, read) (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter shuke
- Start date
KarmaPolice
Footballguy
I am sure I have asked before, but couldn't find it: What great post-apocalyptic or dystopian books can you guys recommend that maybe aren't the obvious ones? When I think about books I gravitate to and have loved, this seems to be a consistent genre that sticks out. The more recent one I just read was Station Eleven. I've done stuff like Brave New World, 1984, The Handmaid's Tale, Oryx and Crake (haven't gotten to the next 2 yet though), The Road, Station Eleven, etc.. Still haven't gotten through The Stand (don't seem to love long-winded King). I do have that and Swan Song at the house that I picked up over the years. I also have The Passage (and the 2nd book, I believe), The Dog Stars, and Lucifer's Hammer in the basement collection too.
shuke
Black Ice Skeptic
If this is your genre, then you have no excuse to not read The Stand, Swan Song, and Lucifer's Hammer.
KarmaPolice
Footballguy
Sand
Footballguy
Wool series, Sand - Hugh HoweyBesides being too old and lazy to read 800+ page books?
Snowcrash, Diamond Age - Stephenson (arguable, maybe more post - modern)
Forge of God - Greg Bear
For sure try Wool. Absolutely superb.
Horrorshow
Footballguy
Recently finished "Suttree" by Cormac McCarthy. Have now read all of McCarthy's novels and I certainly intend to re-read them down the line, especially Blood Meridian which I think might very well be the best novel I've ever read.
Moving on to Vasterien, Vol. 1, Issue 1 next.
Moving on to Vasterien, Vol. 1, Issue 1 next.
Horrorshow
Footballguy
KarmaPolice
Footballguy
Yeah, I did that too. Sometimes I ask in the FFA to narrow down the online lists. I trust the FFA readers more than random people online.
skol asylum
Footballguy
shuke
Black Ice Skeptic
Barry
Footballguy
from that list I liked The Day of the Triffids.Yeah, I did that too. Sometimes I ask in the FFA to narrow down the online lists. I trust the FFA readers more than random people online.
badmojo1006
Footballguy
Currently reading The very best of the best, 35 years of the years best Science fiction.
Some great stories in here, from hard sci-fi to fantasy
Some great stories in here, from hard sci-fi to fantasy
badmojo1006
Footballguy
ragincajun
Footballguy
Just finished up American Gods and The Alchemist. I really enjoyed American Gods. Working on The Goldfinch now.
SouthJersey
Footballguy
Eephus
Footballguy
Non-fiction: Howard Goodall's History of Music. Well written, not too heavy, learned a lot.
Fiction: Sourdough by Robin Sloan. A satire set in modern day SF. It bounced between local tech and food culture before an odd change of direction towards science fiction.
Currently reading Killers of the Flower Moon about the Osage murders in the 1920s.
I'm trying to build up confidence for another shot at Gravity's Rainbow. I got about 200 pages into it during the 80s before putting it down. It's one of only a handful of books that I've started and never finished.
Fiction: Sourdough by Robin Sloan. A satire set in modern day SF. It bounced between local tech and food culture before an odd change of direction towards science fiction.
Currently reading Killers of the Flower Moon about the Osage murders in the 1920s.
I'm trying to build up confidence for another shot at Gravity's Rainbow. I got about 200 pages into it during the 80s before putting it down. It's one of only a handful of books that I've started and never finished.
Don Quixote
Footballguy
Interested in your take on Killers of the Flower Moon. On my want to read list. Really enjoyed Grann's The Lost City of Z.
Same on Gravity's Rainbow. Started it about 10 years ago, but never finished.
Shaft41
Footballguy
I have it coming from the library but haven't started it yet. I've liked all his stuff so I doubt I'll hate it.
Sand
Footballguy
They should have combined Wool, Shift, and Dust. Wool is very, very good, though. Sand should be a separate entry and I think it also is very good and worth a read. (I also really like Half Way Home and Beacon 23, but those aren't in the same category.
Thought of another good entry here: The Last Policeman. About a detective solving a crime with a known earth killing asteroid on the way. Great setting and a good read.
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beer 30
Footballguy
My favorite go to is One Second After by William Forstchen. Fantastic book regarding the collapse of civilization after an EMP event that wipes out the grid. Very real, very engrossing and 351 pages
He turned it into a trilogy based on the success of the first book. I didn't like the follow on books as well but worth the read if you liked the first. One Year After and The Final Day. I'm a little biased becasue the books are set about 2 hours away from me in the mountains so very familiar with the area they take place in.Read Wool series based on recommendations here, agree 100%.
John Bender
Footballguy
Just finished...
Killer Show by John Barylack
One of the greatest non fiction reads I've come across in years. Almost all of the Amazon reviews are 5 stars.
It's personal to me as I'm from the area, and even (VERY) briefly debated going to the show that night (though it was probably item 10 on a list of 10 things me and buddy were debating). I had been to the club to see a few ####ty bands in the past.
This book goes in depth, not just about the tragedy but the shady operations of people who own bars and clubs like this (finances, inspections, etc). Also a bit about life as a an out of date rock band still trying to keep things together. As well as the court proceedings and charges afterwards.
Fascinating read. 9.5 out of 10 for me.
If you do really enjoy the book and want to watch the raw video afterwards, it does exist on youtube (you want the 13 minute version) SEVERE WARNING: It is very very disturbing and upsetting. I would have never sat through it if I didn't just read the book.
Killer Show by John Barylack
One of the greatest non fiction reads I've come across in years. Almost all of the Amazon reviews are 5 stars.
It's personal to me as I'm from the area, and even (VERY) briefly debated going to the show that night (though it was probably item 10 on a list of 10 things me and buddy were debating). I had been to the club to see a few ####ty bands in the past.
This book goes in depth, not just about the tragedy but the shady operations of people who own bars and clubs like this (finances, inspections, etc). Also a bit about life as a an out of date rock band still trying to keep things together. As well as the court proceedings and charges afterwards.
Fascinating read. 9.5 out of 10 for me.
If you do really enjoy the book and want to watch the raw video afterwards, it does exist on youtube (you want the 13 minute version) SEVERE WARNING: It is very very disturbing and upsetting. I would have never sat through it if I didn't just read the book.
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Jefferson the Caregiver
Rebel Without A Pause
North Water, a very fast paced read. About a whaling expedition to the Arctic, the characters are great and the story keeps moving in an interesting way.
chet
Footballguy
SouthJersey
Footballguy
I stopped reading business/management/self help books this year and set a goal to read more. Trying to finish the year reading 24 books, currently on pace.
Here is what I've read, ranked by category. I'd recommend the books i mark with a *
Non-fiction:
The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace (Hobbs)*
Wolf Boys (Slater)*
Privilege (Khan)
Memoirs/Autobiography:
Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)*
Educated (Westover)*
Let My People Go Surfing (Chouinard)
Fiction:
All Involved (Gattis)*
The Force (Winslow)*
She Rides Shotgun (Harper)*
Safe (Gattis)
The Alchemist (Coehlo)
Business/Management:
Managing (Geneen)
Currently reading Ken Kesey's Sometimes a Great Notion. It's a great strory but he was probably twisted on acid while writing this because some parts are just hard to decipher for me.
Here is what I've read, ranked by category. I'd recommend the books i mark with a *
Non-fiction:
The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace (Hobbs)*
Wolf Boys (Slater)*
Privilege (Khan)
Memoirs/Autobiography:
Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)*
Educated (Westover)*
Let My People Go Surfing (Chouinard)
Fiction:
All Involved (Gattis)*
The Force (Winslow)*
She Rides Shotgun (Harper)*
Safe (Gattis)
The Alchemist (Coehlo)
Business/Management:
Managing (Geneen)
Currently reading Ken Kesey's Sometimes a Great Notion. It's a great strory but he was probably twisted on acid while writing this because some parts are just hard to decipher for me.
Fiddles
Footballguy
was interested based on your review, looked it up and realized its the great white show tragedy. def going to read this . thx
Senor Schmutzig
Footballguy
Just picked up Wool at the library (!!) this weekend after I started following Hugh Howey based on his sailing twitter. Interesting story he has
Jefferson the Caregiver
Rebel Without A Pause
Eephus
Footballguy
The LA Quartet are peak Ellroy. I've read some of his other books but none of them grabbed me like these did.
He just wrote a second prequel to the series that take place during the WWII years.
Eephus
Footballguy
Finished Killers of the Flower Moon about the Osage murders and the birth of the FBI. Highly recommended.
Read another Elmore Leonard book because it's my favorite summer reading. Tishomingo Blues was set around Tunica, MS and featured the Dixie mafia and Civil War reenactors. It wasn't my favorite Leonard; some of the characters seemed like caricatures but as usual, the dialog snapped.
Switching back to non-fiction, I just started Mark Kurlansky's history of the year 1968.
Read another Elmore Leonard book because it's my favorite summer reading. Tishomingo Blues was set around Tunica, MS and featured the Dixie mafia and Civil War reenactors. It wasn't my favorite Leonard; some of the characters seemed like caricatures but as usual, the dialog snapped.
Switching back to non-fiction, I just started Mark Kurlansky's history of the year 1968.
Ilov80s
Footballguy
Yes I have- quite good. Meant to finish the series and for some reason got distracted. Then I saw him on BBC bashing the film version of LA Confidential and it jogged my memory.
prosopis
Arizona Chupacabra
I have read a few Jack Reacher books but not in any particular order. I think I have read three of them. As ridiculous as these books are I do find them entertaining. I have started to read them in order of the characters life and not the order they were written in.. I am almost done with Night School which according to a list I found would be the first one. Reacher is in the military and hunting down a bad guy. I will see how long I can last with this series. At times it gets to far fetched for me.
Eephus
Footballguy
He wrote and presented a six episode cable series called LA: City of Demons that should disqualify him from criticizing anybody in the film industry. It has to be seen to be believed.
Ellroy is a very odd bird.
Jefferson the Caregiver
Rebel Without A Pause
Nice, well you've got the best two ahead in Big Nowhere and LA Confidential.
The film for LA Confidential was good but was one of those that couldn't do the book justice. Definitely Ellroy's magnum opus, one of the best books I've read.
Ilov80s
Footballguy
I’ll see when I read it but I loved the movie. Though I agree that it’s rare a film can match a great book.
KarmaPolice
Footballguy
@Eephus - which Leonard books do you like the best?
I will second the suggestion of Killers of the Flower Moon - great book.
Eephus
Footballguy
Don Quixote
Footballguy
Took a long time, but finally managed my way to finish "Blood Meridian." I get why some people love it, but just not really for me. I know I'm in the minority on that one though.
Novel-wise, reading Sally Rooney's Normal People. The book was released in April and is getting a bit of buzz, with the author being called the "first great millennial author" by the NYT. Finding it an okay, but unremarkable story, but still early in it.
On the nonfiction side, reading Michelle Obama's Becoming. Going to tie that together with David Garrow's Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama for my run through the Presidential biographies. I will have to decide if I want to read Trump after that, or just consider myself done due to reading Bob Woodward's Fear.
Novel-wise, reading Sally Rooney's Normal People. The book was released in April and is getting a bit of buzz, with the author being called the "first great millennial author" by the NYT. Finding it an okay, but unremarkable story, but still early in it.
On the nonfiction side, reading Michelle Obama's Becoming. Going to tie that together with David Garrow's Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama for my run through the Presidential biographies. I will have to decide if I want to read Trump after that, or just consider myself done due to reading Bob Woodward's Fear.
skol asylum
Footballguy
Been really slow with the reading for a while. Latest Pendergast was just OK.
Went for a shorter one next. Just started:
The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman
bigmarc27
Footballguy
So, “The Wheel of Time” series. Thoughts? I’m generally not a fantasy reader but GoT changed that a bit and I appreciate epics. Obviously this would be a huge time sink, so just curious to hear from those that have read it. Is it a lot of “Merlin, the high elf of Beauregard summoned his unicorn to fly towards the enchanted forest” or is it a grounded story in a fantasy world?
Also this is a bit different, but is Harry Potter worth a read if I’ve never watched the movies but am late 30s in age? Actually I think I saw one of the movies with Oldman in it, but don’t remember much about it. Someone told me they’re really quick reads, but the story resonates even with adults.
Also this is a bit different, but is Harry Potter worth a read if I’ve never watched the movies but am late 30s in age? Actually I think I saw one of the movies with Oldman in it, but don’t remember much about it. Someone told me they’re really quick reads, but the story resonates even with adults.
Man of Constant Sorrow
Footballguy
I have read both the WOT and the Potter series. I preferred the Potter series - I am 50.
WOT eventually becomes a super-duper-god-like-magic story. It is based heavily in older fantasy series - especially the Arthur myths - and tries to reinterpret them. I liked it on the whole, but I think Potter actually had more depth.
KarmaPolice
Footballguy
I loved reading the Harry Potter books. I read them in my 30s as they were coming out before I had kids.
SouthJersey
Footballguy
At what age should I wait to read Harry Potter with my kids (3 & 5 now)?
KarmaPolice
Footballguy
They get darker in the middle of the series as the kids grow up in the books. I think I started the first one with my son when he was about 8 or 9.
