OT: The Books Thread

[Edge]

Anyone who has watched the movie, needs to read this book.

Huge fan of both.

I seldom re-read fiction, so The Godfather is on a very short list.

Even got my wife to read it about a year ago.

 

[Stasis]

That being said, in the last year I've been tearing my way through the Malazan fantasy books. I finished the main 10 book series, The Malazan Book of the Fallen, and I'm now about halfway through the secondary series, Novels of the Malazan Empire. It's mainly epic fantasy/military fantasy, so there are tons of amazing battles and duels and what have you. The two authors of the series are archaeologists and the author of the main series is also an anthropologist, so there's some insane world building, with very cool cultural/historical/etc. elements that make the universe feel very well-developed. Imagine the scale of Lord of the Rings married to A Song of Ice and Fire's morally grey worldview. Definitely not for everyone, but if you're into high fantasy I'd strongly recommend it.

Huge fan of The Malazan series. I'm due for a reread with the newer novels and now Kharkanas.

Cook's "The Black Company" series is up there. Similar in some ways.

Ambercrombie, Lynch, Brett, Staveley, Sullivan, Sanderson, Rothfuss, Weeks, etc. for fantasy.

Tons of SciFi I can recommend as well. Banks (RIP), Reynolds, Stephenson, Scalzi, etc.

I don't remember them all now.

 

[Made Dan]

Anyone who has watched the movie, needs to read this book.

Yup, had always heard how the book was better. Was such a massive fan of the movie that I doubted it for years, until I sat down and read the ****ing thing. Incredible.

 

[True Blue]

Huge fan of both.

I seldom re-read fiction, so The Godfather is on a very short list.

Even got my wife to read it about a year ago.

Necessary. You actually get insight in what was going on in their heads, even as you saw them on screen. Like what was Michael feeling seconds before he shoots Sollozzo & McCluskey.

 

[NYGBleedBlueNYR]

By the way, I think Leif Babin has the coolest voice in the history of mankind. Not trying to be weird or anything, but that guy's voice is just so damn cool.

His voice doesn't match his look though. He's a babyface blond guy. That voice sounds like someone who'd look like Sam Elliot to me haha

I like the podcast as well but I'm behind.

Jocko is such an interesting guy. I agree with you that I feel like I either learn something or see a totally different view of something every listen.

Jocko is also very interactive on Twitter which is cool.

If I was any professional team I would bring the Echelon Front guys in at least once every season. Very motivating and enlightening guys.

 

[Krams]

Don Quixote

 

[kovazub94]

It is taking me 3 years and I am still trying to wrap up Malzans. Halfway done.

Love this series. Makes it bearable to wait for the next GoT book. When you say Malazan do you refer to Steven Erikson only or Ian Esslemont too? I'm reading the latter after finishing Erikson's books first but you really should be switching back and forth between the two.

 

[YetAnotherNorwegian]

If you can find it in English, I wholeheartedly recommend Johan Harstad's "Hässelby".

 

[Filip Chytil]

His voice doesn't match his look though. He's a babyface blond guy. That voice sounds like someone who'd look like Sam Elliot to me haha

I like the podcast as well but I'm behind.

Jocko is such an interesting guy. I agree with you that I feel like I either learn something or see a totally different view of something every listen.

Jocko is also very interactive on Twitter which is cool.

If I was any professional team I would bring the Echelon Front guys in at least once every season. Very motivating and enlightening guys.

Haha, the voice just is so unexpected. I think Leif's voice would fit Jocko better.

I'm actually behind as well. Believe I just finished #10 the other day. Just simply incredible stuff. 100% agreed that I come away looking at life differently after listening to an episode. Love the "watch" picture Jocko posts every morning of his workouts. The guy is just a warrior in every way. And he's like a black belt in Brazilian jiu jitzu.

I wonder if any sports teams do and we just don't hear about it. I think the Rangers could learn a thing or two about leadership from these two incredible men. Set the meeting up Gorton!

P.S. "Discipline=Freedom!"

 

[n8]

Expanse series by James SA Corey is very good. I only read the first three. There is a SyFy TV series based on the book that is also very good.

In the fantasy genre, the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson really nails "epic"
Patrick Rothfuss, finish Day 3 dammit!!!

 

[SA16]

Expanse series by James SA Corey is very good. I only read the first three. There is a SyFy TV series based on the book that is also very good.

In the fantasy genre, the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson really nails "epic"
Patrick Rothfuss, finish Day 3 dammit!!!

Expanse is good. The new one comes out in a month. Any other sci-fi recommendations? I've got a huge list of stuff I haven't got to yet (mix of SciFi/Fantasy). Tried Dune/hated it and have read and liked some other smaller scale things. I like mostly space travel/long series type of things.

Re: Mistborn I suggest just reading every book Brandon Sanderson has ever written as a good strategy.

Ah yea obv Rothfuss as stated and shown via avatar.

 

[we want cup]

Eh, I mean not really. I need to re-read it but want to try Ulysses first. The Brothers Karamazov taught me to never give up on a book at the ~100-page mark.

If you can handle Brothers K, Ulysses should be manageable. An annotated copy is pretty important if you want to really get what Joyce is doing in every chapter/scene.

I'm on this now. I just finished Night of Knives yesterday and have so far read the first 5 books of the main series. I'm interspersing the two series. Will be starting The Bonehunters in the next few days.

Awesome. I'll probably re-read everything fully in a couple of years with the two series intertwined. Bonehunters is great. Just wait until Reaper's Gale, which is absolutely bonkers from start to finish.

Huge fan of The Malazan series. I'm due for a reread with the newer novels and now Kharkanas.

Cook's "The Black Company" series is up there. Similar in some ways.

Ambercrombie, Lynch, Brett, Staveley, Sullivan, Sanderson, Rothfuss, Weeks, etc. for fantasy.

Tons of SciFi I can recommend as well. Banks (RIP), Reynolds, Stephenson, Scalzi, etc.

I don't remember them all now.

Black Company will probably be the next series I pick up. I've definitely caught the military fantasy bug.

 

[eco's bones]

My first real love was Louis Ferdinand Celine whose first novel was Journey to the end of the night--that recommendation came from Danny Sugerman's book about the Doors singer Jim Morrison--No one here gets out alive. Morrison wrote a song 'End of the Night' on the Doors first LP which is a homage to Celine. It's how I caught the literature bug--following up on Morrison's reading list--Celine was quickly followed by William Faulkner, Flannery O'Connor and Raymond Queneau. Those are the first writers I fell for but a lot came after. There isn't a day that's gone by in the last 35-40 years that I haven't been reading some book or another. Hockey, music, books, family--that's what I love.

 

[B17 Apricots]

If you only read one book ever make sure its this: Propaganda by Edward Bernays. Frankly you only need to read the first chapter, quite pathetic.

 

[Edge]

I've actually been thinking about re-reading some George Orwell ---- Animal Farm especially.

I remember reading that as a kid. Haven't read it since.

 

[Bluenote13]

I've actually been thinking about re-reading some George Orwell ---- Animal Farm especially.

I remember reading that as a kid. Haven't read it since.

I wonder why the urge to Orwell ?

 

[True Blue]

Love this series. Makes it bearable to wait for the next GoT book. When you say Malazan do you refer to Steven Erikson only or Ian Esslemont too? I'm reading the latter after finishing Erikson's books first but you really should be switching back and forth between the two.

Only Erikson

 

[True Blue]

Expanse is good. The new one comes out in a month. Any other sci-fi recommendations? I've got a huge list of stuff I haven't got to yet (mix of SciFi/Fantasy). Tried Dune/hated it and have read and liked some other smaller scale things. I like mostly space travel/long series type of things.

Re: Mistborn I suggest just reading every book Brandon Sanderson has ever written as a good strategy.

Ah yea obv Rothfuss as stated and shown via avatar.

Dune, I love. I should say the original several books. Then it got weird. However, I did read the first 3 prequels (war against the thinking machines) and found it to be great. To see where the feud between Atriedes and Harkonnen's began and how the Butlerian Jihad got started. I always had the feeling when I was reading Dune that I was stepping into a story that was already on the way. The prequels filled some gaps for me.

Am reading the new Sanderson series (my first introduction to him was end of Wheel of Time). He did a great job. Unfortunately Rothfuss is heading the same route as Martin & Jordan. It is a VERY long time between books.

For you fantasy lovers, I suggest reading the Prince of Nothing series, followed by the Aspect Emperor. Robert Baaker. Dark. No good guys. But excellent.

 

[True Blue]

If you can handle Brothers K, Ulysses should be manageable. An annotated copy is pretty important if you want to really get what Joyce is doing in every chapter/scene.

Joyce is just borderline impenetrable for me. Brothers K was fine. I read Crime and Punishment recently.

For classic re-reads, I recommend Dumas. Love everything he wrote. If you have not read Count of Monty Cristo, you are doing yourself a disservice. Along with the entire Musketeers trilogy (3 Musketeers, 20 year latter & Man in the Iron Mask). A fun summer reading project.

Speaking of projects and re-reads, my to-read stack is pretty big. However, I am pushing through to try to go back to mainly Tolstoy and one other. Trying to find the time when I can read (in a row) Master & Margarita, Anna Karenina & War & Peace. All 3 have been read, but I feel the need to reacquaint myself. Classic Russian literature....lots of winter and lots of farming.