What's the last/best book you read?

[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.

 

[utahjazz107]

Fiction sucks, waste of time. Just give me the hour and a half movie about a 500 page book and call it a day.

 

[nightmare3983]

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.

I'll take a pass on the extreme violence, but I'll give The City and the City a try.

 

[Boondocksaint27]

Tolstoy and Hemingway? Check out the big brains on the jazz board. I'm afraid my selections are going to blue collar this thread up a bit. Right now I just finished the Wastelands in Stephen King's excellent Gunslinger series. My all-time favorite read is The Stand, also by King. I enjoy to read and do so quite a bit, but don't have as much time to dedicate to it as I'd like. Every year around early November I read A Time for Trumpets, which is a great account of the Battle of Bulge. Lets see, I also read a book at the start of every baseball season called The Code (about baseballs unwritten rules).

To the author of the thread since this seems up your alley, check out a book called Supersize Me. The movie was based off of it, but it contains quite a few secrets about the fast food industry.

 

[nightmare3983]

Tolstoy and Hemingway? Check out the big brains on the jazz board. I'm afraid my selections are going to blue collar this thread up a bit. Right now I just finished the Wastelands in Stephen King's excellent Gunslinger series. My all-time favorite read is The Stand, also by King. I enjoy to read and do so quite a bit, but don't have as much time to dedicate to it as I'd like. Every year around early November I read A Time for Trumpets, which is a great account of the Battle of Bulge. Lets see, I also read a book at the start of every baseball season called The Code (about baseballs unwritten rules).

To the author of the thread since this seems up your alley, check out a book called Supersize Me. The movie was based off of it, but it contains quite a few secrets about the fast food industry.

The Code sounds interesting. I'll have to make a library trip to get it and The City and the City.