What's the last/best book you read?

[JazzyD]

School is about to be out for 3 weeks and I would like to read one or two good books in that span. I am a non-fictional reader and enjoy things that pertain to me, ie... health, life goals, money. One of the more recent books I have read is called "Toxic food/ healthy food" by Dr. Edward Aronoff.

The book is basically about how unhealthy we as a society have become. The first few chapters he preaches about sugar, you know, processed vs. actual. High fructose corn syrup, found in soda pop and many other products is the main offender. Dr. Aronoff goes on to say the difference lies is how the body processes the different sugars. HFCS is basically already in a broken down state and can be ingested rather fast. This causes a high (or spike) in sugar and later a low affect on your sugar levels. Obesity is the main health issue, which leads into diabetes, stroke, heart attack, and others.

In a nutshell, eat fruits and vegtables to recieve your sugar intake. This is just the beginning but a very good read.

I won't write anymore as this is too long a post already.

What is a book you would recommend to others and why?

 

[cheesus]

I like Ender's Game/Shadow series. There pretty old books and you've may have already read them, but if you haven't I'd recommend it.

 

[Dr. Jones]

Any one of Babe's posts.

 

[JazzyD]

^^ And where are those?

 

[Dr. Jones]

Guns, Germs and Steel.

 

[Deleted member 848]

Guns, Germs and Steel.

Have read it as well. There are some doubts as to whether geography alone ended up being the only causational factor as to why some cultures thrive, and some don't, but it is definitely a very interesting thesis proposed by the author.




PS: I swear there is a much longer thread of this exact topic buried somewhere in GD. FWIW, I'm reading a collection of short-stories and novellas from Anton Chekov. Trying to increase my exposure to Russian Lit, and you should do. Chekov, Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy are all well-known, but I swear they're under appreciated in manny common-people literary circles. Grab a a volume of Chekov's short stories if you wanna try something different-- you won't be disappointed.

 

[t.work]

I'm not even ****ting you guys, the last good book I read was Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. That also happens to be the last book I've completed. I don't understand any other material.

 

[Dr. Jones]

Have read it as well. There are some doubts as to whether geography alone ended up being the only causational factor as to why some cultures thrive, and some don't, but it is definitely a very interesting thesis proposed by the author.




PS: I swear there is a much longer thread of this exact topic buried somewhere in GD. FWIW, I'm reading a collection of short-stories and novellas from Anton Chekov. Trying to increase my exposure to Russian Lit.

Why Russian Lit?

 

[UB]

My favorite authors:

Bret Easton Ellis
Irvine Welsh
Chuck Palahniuk
JG Ballard
Kurt Vonnegut (of course!)
Jesús, el autor
Tom Delillo

 

[Siro]

Guns, Germs and Steel.

Really? I loved the theory presented in the book, and I pretty much buy it whole. But your favorite book ever? That's a bit strange.

I don't have a favorite book, but if I had to pick a few favorites at this moment, I'll go with:

Best fiction: The Last Samurai, Helen Dewitt. I consider my life to contain two stages, the one before, and the one after I read the book. That's how much of an impact it had on me. And it's not related to that stupid movie. Other honorable mentions are The Trial by Franz Kafka, Midnight Children by Salman Rushdi, and The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway.

Best speculative fiction: This one is tough. I'm going to go with Vernor Vinge's Rainbows End. Other contenders are Anathem by Neal Stephenson, The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe, or Schild's Ladder by Greg Egan.

Best non-fiction book: Anything by Bill Bryson, but specially The Short History of Nearly Everything. As far as science books are concerned, I love the work of David Deutsch and Steven Pinker.

Best young adult: The Giver by Lois Lowry and Flowers for Algernon. The tripod trilogy is also awesome, but that's more children's literature.

 

[Dr. Jones]

Fold.

 

[Deleted member 848]

Why Russian Lit?

I would never state russian literature as my favourite, but I would HIGHLY recommend people to check out Dostoyevsky and Chekov's works FOR SURE. Their literary themes are a different take from your typical western novel, and so, so many infamous movie directors (namely Akiro Kurosawa) claim that they have been seriously influenced by Dostoyevsky and his character-archs, themes, and so on.


As far as favourite books are concerned, I swear you would be best just printing out a list of 'the top 20 books of the 19th-20th century' and avoiding most Will Faulkner works if you're concerned about readability. I personally love classics, and find them a good place to continue off of if you've done some decent reading under your belt, and wanna tackle some very interesting themes, and motifs.

 

[Dr. Jones]

I respect the hell outta you guys .. I've just never been into fiction, at all. I love to spend my time reading to learn and living my entertainment. That is NO slight, whatsoever, just a different view.

 

[Deleted member 848]

I respect the hell outta you guys .. I've just never been into fiction, at all. I love to spend my time reading to learn and living my entertainment. That is NO slight, whatsoever, just a different view.

Haha honestly, I used to be the same way. I feel like if you read one superb fictional work, it'll change your mind. Was it Tim O'Brien who once said: 'fiction is truer than truth itself'? Not entirely certain, but you should definitely try to dip your toes in foreign waters, and start off with a widely-known classic with a very realistic story. If you are intrigued by WWII history, I'd heartily recommend Catch 22, for example.

 

[JazzyD]

I respect the hell outta you guys .. I've just never been into fiction, at all. I love to spend my time reading to learn and living my entertainment. That is NO slight, whatsoever, just a different view.

Amen. On a side note does anyone have a Nook? You can "lend" books.

 

[Dr. Jones]

Haha honestly, I used to be the same way. I feel like if you read one superb fictional work, it'll change your mind. Was it Tim O'Brien who once said: 'fiction is truer than truth itself'? Not entirely certain, but you should definitely try to dip your toes in foreign waters, and start off with a widely-known classic with a very realistic story. If you are intrigued by WWII history, I'd heartily recommend Catch 22, for example.

Last time I did that, I almost got cut with a butcher knife (true story) .. some cultural fetishes don't mesh well.

I do get what you're saying, completely. I've been there, actually. I just keep coming back to non.

 

[nightmare3983]

Really? I loved the theory presented in the book, and I pretty much buy it whole. But your favorite book ever? That's a bit strange.

I don't have a favorite book, but if I had to pick a few favorites at this moment, I'll go with:

Best fiction: The Last Samurai, Helen Dewitt. I consider my life to contain two stages, the one before, and the one after I read the book. That's how much of an impact it had on me. And it's not related to that stupid movie. Other honorable mentions are The Trial by Franz Kafka, Midnight Children by Salman Rushdi, and The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway.

Best speculative fiction: This one is tough. I'm going to go with Vernor Vinge's Rainbows End. Other contenders are Anathem by Neal Stephenson, The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe, or Schild's Ladder by Greg Egan.

Best non-fiction book: Anything by Bill Bryson, but specially The Short History of Nearly Everything. As far as science books are concerned, I love the work of David Deutsch and Steven Pinker.

Best young adult: The Giver by Lois Lowry and Flowers to Algernon. The tripod trilogy is also awesome, but that's more children's literature.

I love those. I don't think I've grown up enough, because books I read as an adult just don't seem to grip me as much as books I read when I was a child/teenager.

 

[Siro]

I love those. I don't think I've grown up enough, because books I read as an adult just don't seem to grip me as much as books I read when I was a child/teenager.

There is plenty of great literature for adults. Many adults mostly read commercial fluff like Crichton or Grisham. That can get pretty boring quickly. Successful YA literature typically stimulates the reader as well as entertains. You won't find something really memorable and engaging unless it's, at least somewhat, challenging. What kinds of books do you read? Maybe I can provide recommendations.

And Dalamon, Dostoyevsky is not something you recommend to people lightly. Those who read that kind of literature are already familiar with his work, and those who don't won't enjoy it.

Chekov is fantastic and pretty easy to read and enjoy. I second that recommendation.

 

[nightmare3983]

There is plenty of great literature for adults. Many adults mostly read commercial fluff like Crichton or Grisham. That can get pretty boring quickly. Successful YA literature typically stimulates the reader as well as entertains. You won't find something really memorable and engaging unless it's, at least somewhat, challenging. What kinds of books do you read? Maybe I can provide recommendations.

And Dalamon, Dostoyevsky is not something you recommend to people lightly. Those who read that kind of literature are already familiar with his work, and those who don't won't enjoy it.

Chekov is fantastic and pretty easy to read and enjoy. I second that recommendation.

My issue is that I've gotten away from reading in general. I like mystery and suspense-type books.

 

[Siro]

My issue is that I've gotten away from reading in general. I like mystery and suspense-type books.

Mystery as in Dean Koontz and Dan Brown, or something more hardboiled and noir? If it's the latter, and if you can stomach extreme violence, you should check out Altered Carbon. And take my warning about violence seriously! If you want something a bit less violent and more existential and contemplative, check out The City and the City by China Mieville. I don't know much about the more mainstream stuff, but you were asking for something more engaging anyway.