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MG Reading List

21K views 66 replies 35 participants last post by  Vince 
#1 ·
inspired by Dave's Enders Game reference thread, i think we should have a solid reading list, because i love to read, and i don't have time to start a crappy book. so, list your favorite reads, categorized by: sci-fi, non-fiction, war, political, contains vikings, mystical, etc. let's keep this thread to listing, and no discussion (just your mini-review), to keep it from getting cluttered. if you have more to add, edit your post.

i'll go first.

Science / Non-fiction:
Carl Sagan's Demon Haunted World, Science as a Candle in the Dark
  • basically, Sagan writes about science as a motive in life, rather than just a job. it's pretty interesting the way he describes his past experiences and whatnot. if you think of science as your religion (or your creed or whatever), then you should definitely read this one.

War:
Philip Caputo's A Rumor of War
  • Caputo writes about his experiences in Vietnam in a factual sense. he writes about what happened, and doesn't really give you any spin, which i found really inspiring and interesting, as all i've ever heard about Vietnam was, "man, it was totally bad." first hand account > *

Historical Fiction
Ngugi wa Thiong'o's Devil on the Cross
  • this story focuses on the travels of a Kenyan female as she meets characters based on the different social groups in the country. it's a story of colonialism, theft, and anger, and was written by Thiong'o on toilet paper as the author had been arrested as a political prisoner.
 
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#2 ·
Essay Collection: A Man Without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut Jr
This a collection of brilliant essays by my favorite writer ever on everything from the Bush Administration to why we are here to the joys of being a Luddite. This beyond recommended. I reread it every so often just because I love it so much.

War: Johnny got his Gun by Dalton Trumbo. You've all heard the Metallica song "One" so you know the basic plot. The book is beyond bone chilling and thought provoking. It is my favorite piece of fiction ever.

Politics: A Power Governments Cannot Suppress by Howard Zinn. This is a series of short articles about various movements throughout history and the people behind them. Being a radical leftist guerrilla I love this stuff.
 
#42 ·
Essay Collection: A Man Without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut Jr
This a collection of brilliant essays by my favorite writer ever on everything from the Bush Administration to why we are here to the joys of being a Luddite. This beyond recommended. I reread it every so often just because I love it so much.
This was the first thing I bought on my kindle. Why did I never read this guy before? 4 chapters in and I can't stop reading. He just has a great writing style and the pages fly by.
 
#3 ·
Historical novel : Pillars of the earth, by Ken Follet

The Pillars of the Earth is a historical novel by Ken Follett published in 1989 about the building of a cathedral in Kingsbridge, England. It is set in the middle of the 12th century, primarily during the time known as The Anarchy, between the time of the sinking of the White Ship and the murder of Thomas Becket. The book traces the development of Gothic Architecture out of the preceding Romanesque Architecture and the fortunes of the Kingsbridge priory against the backdrop of actual historical events of the time. Although Kingsbridge is the name of an actual English town, the Kingsbridge in the novel is actually a fictional location representative of a typical market town of the time.
The Pillars of the Earth - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'm reading it right now and it's amazing.
 
#4 ·
Fiction: The Road, by Cormac McCarthy

The Road is a post-apocalyptic tale describing a journey taken by a father and his young son over a period of several months, across a landscape blasted years before by an unnamed cataclysm that destroyed civilization and, apparently, most life on earth. The novel was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the 2006 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction.
I've just finished reading this, by the same author of "No Country For Old Men", Cormac McCarthy. The imagery is very powerful and it's hard not to picture the scenery in the game Fallout 3 when reading parts of the book. The film adaptation is due out later this year starring Viggo Mortensen, Robert Duvall, Guy Pearce and Charlize Theron among others.

Sci-fi: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, by Phillip K. Dick

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968) is a science fiction novel by Philip K. Dick. It contains two interlinking plots: the main plot follows Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter of androids, while the secondary plot follows John Isidore, a man of sub-normal intelligence who befriends some of the androids. The novel explores a number of philosophical issues including what it is to be human. By introducing organic and realistically humanoid androids in this novel, Dick asks what qualities, if any, are unique to or are able to define what is human. In 1982, Hampton Fancher and David Peoples' loose cinematic adaptation became the film Blade Runner.
What is it that makes us human? A brilliant book by a fantastic author which directly influenced possibly my favorite film of all time: Blade Runner.
 
#5 ·
Satire/Comedy:
"Lamb" - Christopher Moore
The telling of Jesus's life, including the parts left out from the bible, as told by his childhood best-friend "Biff" :lol: Hilarious, and yet also quite insightful and moving in places, brilliantly written.

"The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove" - Christopher Moore
Not as sarcastic/clever as "Lamb", but higher up on the hilariously bizarre scale :lol: Also functions as a clever commentary on the over-medication of society.

"Bloodsucking Fiends"/"You Suck" - Christopher Moore
Closer to "Lamb" in terms of sarcasm/one-liners. Best when you read both together. Has some hilariously unique characters, unlikely situations, and an interesting perspective on vampirism in modern society :lol: "You Suck" also features the best literary representation of the myspace/goth/emo scene I've read :lol:

"Survivor" - Chuck Palahniuk
Just started reading this one, but so far it's really got my attention.
 
#7 ·
Vellum: The book of all hours by Hal Duncan

Following the trail of a family legend, Reynard Guy Carter finds The Book of All Hours, aka the Vellum, a blueprint for all creation written by the scribe of God after the word was spoken. Carter thereafter wanders the strange, deserted worlds of the Vellum, while angels and demons, the Covenant and the Sovereigns, battle for control of the order of everything. Within the Vellum, Phreedom Messenger is on a quest to find her brother that will lead her to the very depths of the underworld in a movement parallel to Innana's descent to the underworld of Ereshkigal; and Seamus Finnan, her brother's betrayer and an old friend, is, like Prometheus, bound for his sins. The paths the three characters follow become a scintillating web of journeys across worlds and through the three dimensions of time. Duncan's version of a battle among the messengers of divinity proves fascinating as it takes unexpected turns within the framework of ancient myths. Regina Schroeder
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
 
#8 · (Edited)
Fiction/Lit: The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loanna, by Umberto Eco
Great book about a man who loses his memory, and has to relearn his memories. Strange. Perhaps touching to me, as I dealt alot with my dads failing memory. Eco is a great writer, and someone whom i wish to study semiotics under.

Fiction/Lit: Cosmopolis, by Don DeLillo
Poorly recieved as lacking action, but thats sortof the point i think. DeLillo is another fanfuckingtastic writer

Fiction/Lit: Oedipus at Stalingrad, by Gregor von Rezzori
A satire about social class in germany. Sometimes unappealing, but all in all a great read
 
#9 ·
Tanith Lee's Paradys cycle. Only 60 pages in, but it's a fascinating read so far.
 
#11 ·
Fiction - "Age of Iron" by J.M. Coetzee

Takes the form of a letter from a South African mother dying of cancer to her Daughter in the US telling of the recent events of her life. Set during apartheid; relationships are strained between the mother and her housekeeper when she takes in a homeless man she finds sleeping in her driveway.
 
#12 ·
sci fi - the dark tower series all 9 or 10 of them. stephen king
also sci fi - blood music - Greg Bear
also sci fi - Childhood's End - Sir Arthur C. Clarke,

horror - dead sea - Brian Keene
Monster Island, monster nation, monster planet - David Wellington

many many more but these are the ones that stick out off the top of my head
 
#13 · (Edited)
Blood Music is pretty Decent . I like Greg Bear..

I'm re-reading The Anubis Gates by Timothy Powers (Sci-fantasy)
One of my Favorite books actually.

Im also reading (non Fiction) Lepanto 1571 by Angus Konstam (he is a good author , I have several of his maritime historical books and they are all excellent) And I just ordered Empires of the Sea by Roger Crowley and FLAG OF THE PROPHET: The Story of the Muslim Corsairs by E. Hamilton Currey
 
#15 ·
The Forever War - Joe Hadleman

Written back in 1976, this is almost the flip side of the coin politically to Starship Troopers. The main character, a physicist with over a 150 IQ, is drafted by the Elite Conscription act to fight the Taurans. The military gets around the universe by using collapsars, which are like worm holes that cover millions of light years in a split second, but travel to and from them still has massive relativistic effects. Earth is aging centuries while he is off fighting one battle. The folly of war, human stupidity, and the ever changing (and worsening) earth make for a highly entertaining, and sometimes quite depressing, read.

A friend handed this off to my wife, and she never read it, so I did. I can't believe I've been reading science fiction forever and never touched this. It is extremely well done, and the science is scary accurate. It's another infantry in suits book, but with a completely different take on it. The description of acceleration tanks alone is worth the read.
 
#18 ·
I have an ancient paperback copy of that - it is a good book
Another goodie from that era is Norman Spinrad's Men in the Jungle..

I just Picked up The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart. by Jesse Bullington.

Said brothers are nasty medieval grave robbers. The book has a lot of gruesome Horror and at times reminds me of Lovecraft, the Anubis Gates and the Hammer of the Witches. (and turnips)
The book is very dark but really funny and entertaining

 
#16 ·
Bass Culture: When Reggae Was King - Lloyd Bradley

Non-fiction

A great in-depth look at Reggae taking into account the historical context, and main players. It starts by looking at the sound system scene in Jamaica and how, before independence, records were bought, sold and appreciated. It then goes on to look at 'Jamaicaness' - the post-independence way of cultivating a national identity which included a new and original genre of music.
As the book goes on, it crosses the ocean to detail how Jamaican music was having a notable effect on British youth culture and how, in turn, that effect was noticed in the profits earned by the likes of Island Records and Trojan.

The book really covers all bases and includes some excellent interviews with some of the producers and musicians who were around at the time everything was kicking off; people like Lee 'Scratch' Perry and Horace Andy to name two.

If reggae, dub and ska (not to mention other sub-genres of Jamaican music) are your cup of tea then I highly recommend this book. :yesway:
 
#17 ·
Almost done with the first book of the Malazan series. Definitely gonna pick up the rest at some point. I also am really wanting to start on the Wayfinder Redemption. i picked up the first 3 books on a whim cause it looked cool, and they were 2-3$ each at a used book store.
 
#19 ·
Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey

Basically A guy gets sent to hell for 11 years (while still alive....) and after he comes back to earth he sets out for revenge on the people that sent him there,

Its very hard boiled/noir-ish and pretty entertaining. I picked it up on a whim at a bookstore that was closing (got it for half price )
 
#21 ·
Tomorrow I am Picking up Kraken by China Mieville

British fantasist MieÌüville mashes up cop drama, cults, popular culture, magic, and gods in a Lovecraftian New Weird caper sure to delight fans of Perdido Street Station and The City & the City. When a nine-meter-long dead squid is stolen, tank and all, from a London museum, curator Billy Harrow finds himself swept up in a world he didn't know existed: one of worshippers of the giant squid, animated golems, talking tattoos, and animal familiars on strike. Forced on the lam with a renegade kraken cultist and stalked by cops and crazies, Billy finds his quest to recover the squid sidelined by questions as to what force may now be unleashed on an unsuspecting world. Even MieÌüville's eloquent prose can't conceal the meandering, bewildering plot, but his fans will happily swap linearity for this dizzying whirl of outrageous details and fantastic characters.
He is an amazing author
 
#24 ·
"A Long Way Gone: The True Story of a Child Soldier" - Ishmael Beah

More of a memoir of a time in Beah's life when he was recruited by the government troops during the civil war in Sierra Leone. He was around 13 at the time and bore witness to some of the horrific atrocities that befell many during the decade long war that made an entire country homeless.

Parts of the story are truly heart-breaking. Some critics have raised questions of authenticity of some of the events. Regardless, if you can look past these questions you can imagine that somewhere in Sierra Leone at that time, it was entirely possible someone - a child - could've experienced the traumatic events that unfold within the story even if it isn't Beah himself.

Wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone.
 
#26 ·
Currently enjoying 'The Lottery and Other Stories' by Shirley Jackson.
 
#27 ·
About fifty pages into 'Kraken' by China Mieville.:yesway:
 
#28 ·
Intellectual/Love Story(but not silly)/Sci-Fi House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. It is a story within a story that really messes with your mind and really brings something to the literary table in terms of creativeness that I have rarely seen in other novels of the same sort. Highly recommended.
 
#30 ·
The last 5-10% is when they actually confront the wolves. I finished my kindle reread of it Tuesday. Its one of the slower DT books, but its still an integral part of the experience.

I'll probably start on Song of Sussanah tomorrow.

And just in case if you ever lose the will to finish, you can be assured that the final book has the best ending of any work of fiction. EVER :metal:

So keep going.
 
#31 ·
No way in FUCK I'm quitting now :lol: I started the entire series on Nov. 17th and made it up to Wizards and Glass by about 1st week of December, and took my sweet ass time reading it because not only was it badass, but I didn't have book 5/6/7 and didn't want to wait.

I've heard the actual DT book is phenomenal and I'm really interested to see if it's how they predict it is
 
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