Fiction:
+1 The Name of the Wind (though I hated the sequel)
+1 American Psycho
+1 almost anything by Stephen King
+1 Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit
+1 Slaughterhouse Five
+1 The Great Gatsby
Robert McCammon - "Swan Song"
Spider Robinson - "Callahan's Crosstime Saloon"
George R. R. Martin - "A Song of Ice and Fire" series
Richard Adams - "Watership Down"
George Orwell - "1984"
William Golding - "Lord of the Flies"
Michael Crichton - "Jurassic Park"
Neil Gaiman - "Stardust" and "American Gods"
I don't read a lot of non-fiction (and so not many make it to my favorites) but YMOYL, ERE book, and "Starting Strength" by Mark Rippetoe were all big influences.
What Are Your Favorite Books?
Fascinating list!
+1 Ayn Rand anything - for youthful self-righteous hatred of the world and all of the moochers.
Pulling an old copy of the phantom tollboth off of my shelf, and going to re-read it soon.
@tzxn3
One of my favourite fiction books is Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson's "The Illuminatus! Trilogy". It's probably not to everyone's taste, and it's hardly sterling prose, but I certainly enjoyed reading it.
It is available for download here: www.rawilsonfans.com/downloads/Illuminatus.pdf
After reading some other thread here, I was trying to remember which of RAW's books had the innovative plot-line of having companies pay rewards to employees who could automate their jobs. Hilarious results ensue as people automate their way out of their corporate lives, and the post-industrial economy begins. I think it is Illuminatus!, but not sure...
+1 Ayn Rand anything - for youthful self-righteous hatred of the world and all of the moochers.
Pulling an old copy of the phantom tollboth off of my shelf, and going to re-read it soon.
@tzxn3
One of my favourite fiction books is Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson's "The Illuminatus! Trilogy". It's probably not to everyone's taste, and it's hardly sterling prose, but I certainly enjoyed reading it.
It is available for download here: www.rawilsonfans.com/downloads/Illuminatus.pdf
After reading some other thread here, I was trying to remember which of RAW's books had the innovative plot-line of having companies pay rewards to employees who could automate their jobs. Hilarious results ensue as people automate their way out of their corporate lives, and the post-industrial economy begins. I think it is Illuminatus!, but not sure...
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jacob
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Tough call since I rarely reread books or associate specific information with specific sources. Anyway, here are a few more ...
Overshoot -- William Catton -- The IMHO best neo-malthusian book out of the energy crisis (and associated environmental awareness) of the late 1970s.
An introduction to general systems thinking -- Gerald Weinberg -- Thinking about thinking. A book on how to think in the most fundamental way possible which reveals just how many simplification and linearizations we tend to take for granted.
Martin Eden -- Jack London -- Struggling author becomes successful shortly after giving up on writing and realized how empty success feels when it's not based on merit.
Overshoot -- William Catton -- The IMHO best neo-malthusian book out of the energy crisis (and associated environmental awareness) of the late 1970s.
An introduction to general systems thinking -- Gerald Weinberg -- Thinking about thinking. A book on how to think in the most fundamental way possible which reveals just how many simplification and linearizations we tend to take for granted.
Martin Eden -- Jack London -- Struggling author becomes successful shortly after giving up on writing and realized how empty success feels when it's not based on merit.
This is a really informative thread, and it's already supplied me with lots of new titles to my reading list!
I'll add a few:
1. Sun Tzu - The Art of War - succinct, deep, and for all those struggling with non-like minded ER/ERE SO, family etc. the first chapter alone should do you a world of good. There are many editions, but in English, the best one I've read is Roger Ames' - check it out: http://www.amazon.com/The-Warfare-Class ... 034536239X
2. Catch 22 - we might not be in WWII Italy but if you replace "missions" with "possessions" you get an eerie feeling ...
3. Animal Farm - George Orwell, in the best tradition of great allegorical literature, puts on masks so that we can then (hopefully) take a look at ourselves in the mirror
4. Into the Wild - Jon Krakauer's prose and the subject matter can't be beat - a must-read/ self-examination for ER/ERE folks!
I'll add a few:
1. Sun Tzu - The Art of War - succinct, deep, and for all those struggling with non-like minded ER/ERE SO, family etc. the first chapter alone should do you a world of good. There are many editions, but in English, the best one I've read is Roger Ames' - check it out: http://www.amazon.com/The-Warfare-Class ... 034536239X
2. Catch 22 - we might not be in WWII Italy but if you replace "missions" with "possessions" you get an eerie feeling ...
3. Animal Farm - George Orwell, in the best tradition of great allegorical literature, puts on masks so that we can then (hopefully) take a look at ourselves in the mirror
4. Into the Wild - Jon Krakauer's prose and the subject matter can't be beat - a must-read/ self-examination for ER/ERE folks!
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jennypenny
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>>Obviously, both Sun Tzu and Machiavelli can be applied to more than military ventures.
...like high school
"Into the Wild" reminded me of "Into Thin Air." I love books like that--"Silence of the Lambs" and "Jaws" also come to mind--that everyone reads and passes around. I think it's fun when a book appeals to everyone and it ends up being a collective experience. It doesn't happen very often. (now everyone talks about shows like Idol that way, not books)
...like high school
"Into the Wild" reminded me of "Into Thin Air." I love books like that--"Silence of the Lambs" and "Jaws" also come to mind--that everyone reads and passes around. I think it's fun when a book appeals to everyone and it ends up being a collective experience. It doesn't happen very often. (now everyone talks about shows like Idol that way, not books)
I love his style of writing - it makes me feel as if I am *there*Nice! After the Quake is a collection of short stories... let me know what you think.
I'll second Harry Potter. I was the right age to read these books as a kid (though they were a guilty pleasure for me). Now I've found Harry Potter to be a great way to learn another language. They're engaging books and the writing is relatively straightforward. You can buy the ebooks online in French, German, Italian, and Spanish.
I'll second Harry Potter. I was the right age to read these books as a kid (though they were a guilty pleasure for me). Now I've found Harry Potter to be a great way to learn another language. They're engaging books and the writing is relatively straightforward. You can buy the ebooks online in French, German, Italian, and Spanish.
+1 to most of the above &
Terry Pratchett should be given the Nobelprice for peace in my opinion. (on peace: Thud!, for boys: Only you can save mankind, for James Bond lovers: Nightwatch, for the Nerds: Going postal, for the girls: I shall wear midnight, Anty-royalists: Feet of Clay,...),
Suzette Haden Elgin for Ozark level-headedness coupled with language (Native tongue) / magic (Ozark triology)
Enjoyed Raimond E. Feist/ Jenny Wurtz Empire Triologie (Young girl in fantasy-asiatic setting finds herself becoming the head of a great family and has to plot and plan politically and financially for her survival)
Mattew W. Stover - Heroes die - A kind of Hollywoodesque actor in an almost overshot world that feeds entertainment to the masses through adventures on another world - er - you need to read it, it´s great if you like fantasy coupled with tech.
Terry Pratchett should be given the Nobelprice for peace in my opinion. (on peace: Thud!, for boys: Only you can save mankind, for James Bond lovers: Nightwatch, for the Nerds: Going postal, for the girls: I shall wear midnight, Anty-royalists: Feet of Clay,...),
Suzette Haden Elgin for Ozark level-headedness coupled with language (Native tongue) / magic (Ozark triology)
Enjoyed Raimond E. Feist/ Jenny Wurtz Empire Triologie (Young girl in fantasy-asiatic setting finds herself becoming the head of a great family and has to plot and plan politically and financially for her survival)
Mattew W. Stover - Heroes die - A kind of Hollywoodesque actor in an almost overshot world that feeds entertainment to the masses through adventures on another world - er - you need to read it, it´s great if you like fantasy coupled with tech.
Okay, here we go in order of life-changing significance:
- 7 habits of highly effective people (best book ever, replaces an entire library of similar books - surprisingly deep for a book of that title)
- When i say no, I feel guilty (how-to on being assertive)
- Anything by Robert Anton Wilson - especially Quantum Psychology - he's my favourite philosopher
here's a link to his Rich economy, which was requested:
http://www.whywork.org/rethinking/whywork/rawilson.html
It was referenced in the Schrödinger's Cat trilogy as being implemented by a president
- the teenage liberation handbook is great on homeschooling and (re)learning to learn in general
- Anything by Epicurus
- YMOYL and ERE are in there, too, of course, even though I also really like "Work less play more" by Steven Catlin, which has a very relaxed approach to all of this
- Brave New World for a brilliant reductio ad absurdum of modernism/consumerism/technological utopianism in general showing its inherent emptiness - way more accurate and relevant than 1984, I think.
- 7 habits of highly effective people (best book ever, replaces an entire library of similar books - surprisingly deep for a book of that title)
- When i say no, I feel guilty (how-to on being assertive)
- Anything by Robert Anton Wilson - especially Quantum Psychology - he's my favourite philosopher
here's a link to his Rich economy, which was requested:
http://www.whywork.org/rethinking/whywork/rawilson.html
It was referenced in the Schrödinger's Cat trilogy as being implemented by a president
- the teenage liberation handbook is great on homeschooling and (re)learning to learn in general
- Anything by Epicurus
- YMOYL and ERE are in there, too, of course, even though I also really like "Work less play more" by Steven Catlin, which has a very relaxed approach to all of this
- Brave New World for a brilliant reductio ad absurdum of modernism/consumerism/technological utopianism in general showing its inherent emptiness - way more accurate and relevant than 1984, I think.
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jennypenny
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- Joined: Sun Jul 03, 2011 2:20 pm
Re: What Are Your Favorite Books?
Spartan_Warrior's post on the "version of history" thread inspired me to bump this thread for the newer forumites. I'm always looking for new books to read. Book recommendations are one of my favorite parts of this forum. (fiction and non-fiction)
Re: What Are Your Favorite Books?
Yep, I always enjoy hearing what others like and a little about why. Even if I disagree!jennypenny wrote:Spartan_Warrior's post on the "version of history" thread inspired me to bump this thread for the newer forumites. I'm always looking for new books to read. Book recommendations are one of my favorite parts of this forum. (fiction and non-fiction)
The "classics!"Recently, I found the Wool series by Howey to be an interesting read. Plenty of curveballs and slightly scary plot. Not scary in the horror sense, but in the "this might be possible" sense.
Re: What Are Your Favorite Books?
Great or Interesting Novels About Love and Money:
1) Bleak House-Dickens
2) Germinal-Zola
3) A Man in Full-Wolfe
4) Persuasion-Austen
5) Rabbit is Rich-Updike
6) Vanity Fair-Thackeray
7) Buddenbrooks -Thomas Mann
8) The Adventures of Augie March-Saul Bellow
9) The Beans of Egypt, Maine- Chute
10) The Little Disturbances of Man-Paley (short stories)
11) The Shadow Knows-Johnson
12) Song of Solomon-Morrison
13) House of Sand and Fog- Dubus
14) The Woman in the Dunes-Abe
15) Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch-Rice
16) Cold Comfort Farm -Gibbons
17) Children are Diamonds -Hoagland
18) Quo Vadis -Sienkiewicz
19) Earthly Possessions- Tyler
20) The Debt to Pleasure - Lanchester
21) Charity Girl - Heyer
22) Rich Man, Poor Man -Shaw
23) White Noise -DeLillo
24) O Pioneers!- Cather
25) Ragtime- Doctorow
26) Nobody's Fool- Russo
27) All the King's Men- Warren
28) The Sirens of Titan- Vonnegut
29) The Pill versus the Springhill Mine Disaster- Brautigan
30) Republic of Love- Shields
...of course, all novels are about love and money so I could just go on and on and on.
1) Bleak House-Dickens
2) Germinal-Zola
3) A Man in Full-Wolfe
4) Persuasion-Austen
5) Rabbit is Rich-Updike
6) Vanity Fair-Thackeray
7) Buddenbrooks -Thomas Mann
8) The Adventures of Augie March-Saul Bellow
9) The Beans of Egypt, Maine- Chute
10) The Little Disturbances of Man-Paley (short stories)
11) The Shadow Knows-Johnson
12) Song of Solomon-Morrison
13) House of Sand and Fog- Dubus
14) The Woman in the Dunes-Abe
15) Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch-Rice
16) Cold Comfort Farm -Gibbons
17) Children are Diamonds -Hoagland
18) Quo Vadis -Sienkiewicz
19) Earthly Possessions- Tyler
20) The Debt to Pleasure - Lanchester
21) Charity Girl - Heyer
22) Rich Man, Poor Man -Shaw
23) White Noise -DeLillo
24) O Pioneers!- Cather
25) Ragtime- Doctorow
26) Nobody's Fool- Russo
27) All the King's Men- Warren
28) The Sirens of Titan- Vonnegut
29) The Pill versus the Springhill Mine Disaster- Brautigan
30) Republic of Love- Shields
...of course, all novels are about love and money so I could just go on and on and on.
Re: What Are Your Favorite Books?
Thanks @jennypenny for bumping! So many old favorites and great new recommendations.
Category: Going to Extremes
Nonfiction:
The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch, Lewis Dartnell - Thoughts on how to reinvent agriculture and industry after a global pandemic.
Mean and Lowly Things, Kate Jackson - Collecting snakes for a year in the Congo, for science.
Darwin's Dangerous Idea, Daniel Dennett - Explains how the theory of evolution destroyed and created entire worldviews.
Fiction:
The Master and Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov - Struggling to follow the creative path in Stalin's Russia.
Ghostwritten, David Mitchell (and also Cloud Atlas) - A bleak but elegantly-written view of humanity.
Oryx & Crake/Year of the Flood/Maddaddam, Margaret Atwood - Turns out permaculture *will* save the world.
Category: Going to Extremes
Nonfiction:
The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch, Lewis Dartnell - Thoughts on how to reinvent agriculture and industry after a global pandemic.
Mean and Lowly Things, Kate Jackson - Collecting snakes for a year in the Congo, for science.
Darwin's Dangerous Idea, Daniel Dennett - Explains how the theory of evolution destroyed and created entire worldviews.
Fiction:
The Master and Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov - Struggling to follow the creative path in Stalin's Russia.
Ghostwritten, David Mitchell (and also Cloud Atlas) - A bleak but elegantly-written view of humanity.
Oryx & Crake/Year of the Flood/Maddaddam, Margaret Atwood - Turns out permaculture *will* save the world.
Re: What Are Your Favorite Books?
In terms of books that stayed with me after I read them, and/or books that I enjoyed enough to read multiple times, the top ten are here:
1. Walden (Henry David Thoreau)
2. Illusions (Richard Bach)
3. Mere Christianity (C.S. Lewis)
4. The Purpose Driven Life (Rick Warren)
5. The Forest For The Trees (Betsy Lerner)
6. The Collected Works of Jane Austen
7. Middlemarch (George Eliot)
8. The Name Of The Rose (Umberto Eco)
9. The Far Pavilions (M.M. Kaye)
10. The Heritage of Shannara series (Terry Brooks)
Special mention to Patricia Cornwell's "Postmortem," which scared me so badly when I first read it that I developed a mild phobia of pancake syrup afterward. I guess it stuck with me too.
1. Walden (Henry David Thoreau)
2. Illusions (Richard Bach)
3. Mere Christianity (C.S. Lewis)
4. The Purpose Driven Life (Rick Warren)
5. The Forest For The Trees (Betsy Lerner)
6. The Collected Works of Jane Austen
7. Middlemarch (George Eliot)
8. The Name Of The Rose (Umberto Eco)
9. The Far Pavilions (M.M. Kaye)
10. The Heritage of Shannara series (Terry Brooks)
Special mention to Patricia Cornwell's "Postmortem," which scared me so badly when I first read it that I developed a mild phobia of pancake syrup afterward. I guess it stuck with me too.
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jacob
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Re: What Are Your Favorite Books?
I'm currently reading my way through the bibliography in Charles Hugh Smith's Survival+ book. Oh, and by the way, I'll add Survival+ to the list as well as its bibliography.