IronGiant
01.29.17 | is stephen king any good? was thinking about reading 11/22/63 but idk |
Winesburgohio
01.29.17 | can u pls read it and get back to me IronGiant
persevere with Against the Day, i reckon it's one of his most readable! Simplicity-wise Sudden Death, Bright Lights Big City and Then We Came to an End should tickle your pickle!!! |
Mort.
01.29.17 | anything by vonnegut is super easy to read |
GeorgeWBush
01.29.17 | Chuck Palahniuk - Fight Club
I'm currently reading Doctor Sleep by Stephen King. It's the sequel to The Shining, and it's excellent so far. |
Spluger
01.29.17 | I've only read the Shining by King and I liked it a lot. He can be very verbose at times though. I recommend Fear and Loathing by Hunter S. Thompson, read that book in two sittings. |
zakalwe
01.29.17 | The Wasp Factory
1984
A Confederacy of Dunces
Catch 22
Under the Volcano
The Stand
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
The Power of One
The Beach
The Pillars of the Earth
Lord of the Flies
Flowers for Algernon
|
GeorgeWBush
01.29.17 | "Nothing too dense or intricate"
"1894"
Well. |
Tunaboy45
01.29.17 | "is stephen king any good?"
recently read Revival, loved it and would definitely recommend
currently reading Porno, huge Irvine Welsh fan |
BeetleKing
01.29.17 | Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson |
Sevengill
01.29.17 | Watership Down is probably my favorite novel. Halfway between high adventure and philosophical parable. Do it for Richard Adams, who was a victim of 2016. |
TVC15
01.29.17 | The Catcher in the Rye
The Thin Executioner |
Sniff
01.29.17 | John Williams - Stoner |
dbizzles
01.29.17 | Maybe try Brilliance? Crime Fiction, think X-Men meets Heroes but with more realistic abilities. Super easy read. Wouldn't say it's amazing, but it was good enough that I ordered the next two books from thriftbooks.
If that doesn't sound appealing, maybe read up a bit and then try Neverwhere by Gaiman. |
DrMaximus
01.29.17 | the trial |
Astronewt
01.29.17 | If you want something kinda weird, John Dies at the End is pretty good. I also just read 2001: Space Odyssey and found it amazing. |
Mythodea
01.29.17 | Stephen King is excellent, chose anything. I'd recommend 11/22/63, brought me to tears. I'd also recommend Salems Lot and Needful Things (for sth shorter).
By Clive Barker try The Damnation Game, one of the best he's written.
Terry Pratchet would be great too, awesome fiction/comedy. |
Spluger
01.29.17 | How does 2001 compare to the film? |
zaruyache
01.29.17 | It expands on some stuff that was left mysterious in the film and has some big differences (they go to a different planet), but the two are companion pieces so you should def read the book if you've seen the film. |
IronGiant
01.29.17 | thank you for all the awesome feedback! I've read a lot of these already, either in school (1984, Flowers for algernon) or for fun (Fight Club, Fear and Loathing, Catcher in the Rye). Started 2001 but found it boring, maybe I'll try again? I'm gonna give 11/22/63 a shot though and see how I like it. |
Trebor.
01.29.17 | "Nothing too dense or intricate"
fuck, was going to recommend Kavalier and Clay and Infinite Jest
No Longer Human is very short and great, Revolutionary Road also good shit |
Spec
01.29.17 | The Long Walk is good if you're going with Stephen King. |
Divaman
01.29.17 | King is good, but go for older King. Go for something like "The Shining" or "Pet Sematary" if you want horror, or maybe "The Green Mile" if not. |
TheEnigma
01.29.17 | Currently reading 'The Life and Times of Michael K' by J.M. Coetzee it's good shit. It's the literary influence behind Cult of Luna's 'Somewhere Along the Highway' |
Rowan5215
01.29.17 | definitely do not start with newer King, he misses far more than he hits. start with Salem's Lot (for straight up creepiness) or The Shining (for psychological stuff)
also get Remember Why You Fear Me - Robert Shearman if you want the best short story collection of the 21st century |
zaruyache
01.30.17 | finished The Girl With All The Gifts recently and it was fairly good. An "original zombie book" in the truest sense. Now I'm on to Murakami's Hard-Boiled Wonderland, which is interesting so far, in a Murakami way. |
Muppelope
01.30.17 | I'm a huge Gaiman fan, so I second Neverwhere, which was said above, though I prefer American Gods. Also Margaret Atwood, Oryx and Crake or The Handmaid's Tale. I recently read Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro and really enjoyed that as well. All of these are urban fantasy or dystopians btw. |
YetAnotherBrick
01.30.17 | Vonnegut [2]
Start with Slaughterhouse-Five tho
Also
Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiel Hammett
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
Stuart Little by E.B. White (legit)
|
Deathconscious
01.30.17 | if you want something fun, Nekropolis by Tim Waggoner. its about a zombie detective in a city inhabited by other creatures and monsters. |
Deathconscious
01.30.17 | also, the Newsflesh series is a pretty fun read. its a zombie series, but not a post-apocalyptic kind of zombie book. government didnt collapse, humans learned to live with the zombie outbreak and its apart of everyday life. it follows two sibling journalists who stumble upon something they werent supposed to that (obviously) relates to the zombie outbreak.
Stephen King's The Dark Tower series is less "fun" and can be kind of intricate but nothing that will really make you scratch your head. it is extremely entertaining. |
Sinternet
01.30.17 | just pick any murakami
my favourite is norwegian wood so read that if you haven't
or maybe kazuo ishiguro if you want something more in that style |
TheGreatQ
01.31.17 | Check Revival by Stephen King. One of the few books I ever get the urge to re-read. |
danielito19
01.31.17 | if you don't mind soap operas or lengthy diatribes translated from russian
The Brothers Karamazov is pretty incredible |
Hep Kat
01.31.17 | The Hemingway Thief |
SCREAMorphine
01.31.17 | Anything by Robert Mccammon.
|
Piglet
01.31.17 | Don't look further than Catch-22. It's absolutely hilarious and a breeze to read. Dune and Magician are grouse fantasy page-turners that are hard to put down. |
RadicalEd
01.31.17 | Stoner - John Williams
1984 - Orwell
The Cicero Trilogy - Robert Harris (Imperium, Lustrum, Dictator)
The Great Gatsby - Fitzgerald
"Nothing too dense or intricate"
"The Brothers Karamazov is pretty incredible"
um probably one of the most dense and intricate books out there. |
Satellite
01.31.17 | Camus can do but Sartre is smartre.
the master and margarita - mikhail bulgakov
on the road - jack kerouac
the metamorphasis - franz kafka
brave new world - aldous huxley
dying of the light - grrm (honestly this is probably his best work)
company - max barry
the visible man - chuck klosterman
also 123 on catch-22 and the now-extremely-relevant 1984 |
RadicalEd
01.31.17 | Ugh Kafka |
Rik VII
01.31.17 | the metamorphasis - franz kafka [2]
... the best ever |
Piglet
01.31.17 | The Brothers Karamazov isn't thaaaat dense or intricate in my experience, I first read it when I was 14 and I wasn't at sea like Joyce or anything like that. The prose has a nice gallop, the dialogue runs like honey, there's a lot of emotion, imo it's immensely readable. I suppose it's pretty long though. |
Rik VII
01.31.17 | Yeah, Dostoyevsky in general is really easy to read imo, he's just an amazing writer. His books tend to be super long though, which is why all in all they're not that accessible all the same. |
Piglet
01.31.17 | It does depend on the translator, Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky are very lively, in fact I don't appreciate Dostoevsky the same with the others. Comes across as too dry. |
RadicalEd
01.31.17 | I love Dostoyevsky don't get me wrong, but Brothers K is very dense/intricate imo. I mean compared to Ullyses by Joyce it's a walk in the park agreed, but that's probably one of the most obtuse (and still famous) novels out there. |
guitarded_chuck
01.31.17 | the bros k is fantastic. just read it not long ago actually
ive been reading a ton of philosophy lately |
guitarded_chuck
01.31.17 | i kind of enjoyed crime and punishment more i think though, raskolnikov is such an interesting character study
i like the exploration of good and evil more than the religious debates in tbk generally
dostoyevsky was a p hardcore christian and he isnt in your face about it but its pretty clear which worldview he was suggesting to be best
although the dealing with the immoral hot girls thing is highly relatable |
Piglet
01.31.17 | oh aha yeah duderoo he really got the crazy russian bitches thing down to a tee
1. The Bros K
2. The Idiot
3. Crime and Punishment
4. The House of the Dead
5. Notes from Underground
Still haven't read his other shit but that'd be my ranking |
Piglet
01.31.17 | Speaking of character studies i did do one comparing Prince Myshkin from The Idiot to Don Quixote, pretty much my favourite piece of writing i ever did/researched |
SCREAM!
01.31.17 | "is stephen king any good? was thinking about reading 11/22/63 but idk"
I enjoyed it. Sounds like it would fit what you're looking for too
Also if you haven't read it then Mario Puzo - The Godfather is a great, straightforward little piece of fiction |
guitarded_chuck
01.31.17 | ive only read tbk and c&p so far but that was recently and i'm just taking a break from him to read some other stuff. probably read the idiot soon.
i think i'll tackle war and peace this summer. i love reading / watching docs about the french revolution and the napoleonic wars so i'm thinking i'll probably love it |
Shiranui
01.31.17 | I know The Idiot has got to be lying around here somewhere, same goes for Thus spoke Zarathustra. Been meaning to get to these for a while. |
Zig
01.31.17 | So, here's my non-too-dense recs:
Nikolai Gogol - The Nose; The Portrait; Diary of a Madman
Lev Tolstoi - Kreutzer Sonata
Marguerite Duras - Cantabile Moderato |
Rik VII
01.31.17 | I second Gogol, his works are very entertaining and unique but he might not be up to everyone's alley. |
Piglet
01.31.17 | interesting for someone to rec 3 of gogol's works and not dead souls ahahah
translator is very important for him too |
Shoegazefan9789
01.31.17 | 1. 11/22/63 was awesome, easy to read and super interesting alternative history
2. Think Like a Freak
3. The Years of rice and salt |
TheEnigma
02.11.17 | H O U S E O F L E A V E S |
zaruyache
02.11.17 | I've heard that's supposed to be really good. Freaky, but good. |
72haha72
02.11.17 | Anything by Thomas Pynchon. Gravity's Rainbow is considered his masterpiece. |
JeetJeet
02.11.17 | Survivor by Chuck Pahlaniuk is probably my favorite read of all time, but das just me. Rant is good too. |
TheEnigma
02.11.17 | "I've heard that's supposed to be really good. Freaky, but good."
It is. Some of it's pretty dense, but it's definitely worth the read. Gravity's Rainbow is one of the next books on my reading list. I read one of Pynchon's books (Bleeding Edge) and it was alright. Still want to read 'V' - it was an inspiration behind Thrice's 'Vheissu' - but I accidentally ordered the French copy online. |
dbizzles
02.11.17 | House of Leaves [2] Though I'm not sure I wouldn't consider it a bit dense.
I'm reading volume 1 of Kabuki by David Mack right now and it is fucking cool. |
72haha72
02.12.17 | Actually, I'd definitely recommend to read V. before reading Gravity's Rainbow. Still haven't read Bleeding Edge though, I am currently reading (and thoroughly enjoying) Vineland. |
Deathconscious
02.12.17 | i just got done with the Imperial Radch series. i rec that everyone stays the fuck away from it. the first book is impressive and will suck you in, the second book was a huge fucking chore to read and a big disappointment, and the third one was better but still didnt make up for it. |
TheEnigma
02.12.17 | "I'd definitely recommend to read V. before reading Gravity's Rainbow."
Any particular reason for that? |
Papa Universe
03.05.17 | Read Richard K. Morgan's superb cyberpunk masterpiece Altered Carbon before Netflix makes its adaptation. It's a first book in a trilogy and each book focuses on different style of Science Fiction. First one is cyberpunk, second one is a Space Opera, and the third one I haven't read yet, but I assume it's some sort of war story. It is incredibly detailed and truly gripping, so get on it quickly before it's too mainstream. |
Papa Universe
03.05.17 | If you're not into Sci-Fi, here's something more down-to-earth: Peter May's Lewis Island trilogy. Three books, each masks itself as a detective story, whereas in reality it is a truly touhing and tender tale of reconnection with your past, your former loved ones and the place you used to call home and the realisation that nothing is without a change and time goes by too quickly. |
Papa Universe
03.05.17 | But going back to the Space Opera, I can't not mention the single greatest genre piece, the four Space Odyssey books by Arthur C. Clarke. Each delving into different kind of style. First being the hardcore science following and sombre claustrofest, second more of a traditional implication of the genre, thrid being some sort of literary blockbuster and fourth presenting itself as a sort of biography. |
Papa Universe
03.05.17 | If you are at all interested in the thematics of wartime and the point of view of someone within an occupated territory, Czech writer Bohumil Hrabal had a brilliant, alas short book called Closely Observed Trains, whose adaptation even won an Oscar for best foreign picture back in the day. |
Papa Universe
03.05.17 | The same author, similar topic, but rather biographical, I Served the King of England. Though not my favourite book, still a decent read. |
Anthracks
03.05.17 | gone girl |
Papa Universe
03.05.17 | Talking about war, but from a different perspective and genre. Graham Greene's Ministry of Fear has by far one of the most intriguing beginnings in crime thrillers I've read. However, the book is not just a typical story about solving a puzzle as it is with many other spy thrillers, this one in fact keeps you in paranoia as to who can be in on the conspiracy that takes place around the main character. Just keep in mind that the ending might not be as effective as one would wish. |
Papa Universe
03.05.17 | Still delving into the theme of spy thriller, I could not leave out the master of the genre, John le Carré. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is possibly his most renowned effort and for good reasons. The book is filled with overwhelming amount of detail and confusingly vague explanations to situations different characters get themselves in. The reader almost drowns in information poured onto him from page to page and it is quite hard to keep track of what exactly is going on or what are different characters refering to in their dialogues. Just as detailed and confusing as a real life espionage operation would be, one could assume. |
p4p
03.05.17 | Gibran - The Prophet
Capote - In Cold Blood
Camus - The Stranger
Tolstoy - Anna Karenina (i recommend the Rosamund Bartlett translation)
|
dbizzles
03.05.17 | Just read Blood Meridian by McCarthy, it could use some trimming, but overall was pretty awesome. A bleak western tale of death, war, suffering and the more gruesome side of humanity.
Started The Raw Shark Texts a couple days back by Stephen Hall which is a great change of pace from Blood Meridian. Good so far, was rec'd because I liked House of Leaves. I understand the comparisons already even if they are often reaching a bit. |
butcherboy
03.05.17 | confederacy of dunces.. for something more contemporary, teju cole and junot diaz are both fantastic.. and noviolet bulawayo's We need new names is a great book |
polyrhythm
03.05.17 | Slaughterhouse Five |
Tunaboy45
03.05.17 | can't recommend The Master and Margarita enough |
NorthernSkylark
03.05.17 | Hemingway, flannery o'connor, J.d. Salinger, carson McCullers, Tennessee Williams, Raymond carver - those are my favorite authors. |
combustion07
03.05.17 | The Girl in the Swing is a great one |
Lord(e)Po)))ts
03.05.17 | Read Oryx and Crake if you haven't. its shaping up to be one of my favourite fictional works ever and its an easy read and not terribly long.
The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things is also awesome and has a really cool history to it, but is not for the faint of heart. Very short and easy to read.
I also love House of Leaves and Shantaram but both of those are super long and demanding. |
polyrhythm
03.05.17 | Pale Fire by Nabokov is like a 6/5 |
Frippertronics
03.05.17 | Thea von Harbou's Metropolis is good, once you get used to her style of going on...and on....and on....
plus it's essential if you like the movie; goes heavy on the characterization that was a bit skimmed over in the movie |
Lord(e)Po)))ts
03.06.17 | And yes Stephen King is good but don't start with that book. Read the stand or dark tower i |
MillionDead
03.06.17 | Skylark, I'm an English major at Ole Miss, so it's nice to see someone into that Southern gothic realm. I haven't had much time or drive to read for fun while reading all this stuff for college, but I'm thinking of starting Lolita. And also, try out House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday. It's told non-chronologically but its really touching and you get the picture by the end. |