General / Off-Topic What books would you advise others to read once in their lifetime?

Zak Gordon

Zak Gordon
Stigbob said:
Anything by Noam Chomsky.

And the complete Conan chronicles.
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I agree 100%. Noam Chomsky is not someone i agree 100% with, but in general on the wider issues he is rarely wrong, and it will be a sad day for us all when he is gone.

On the Conan chronicles you need to be a little careful as there are a number of them (non Howard or Sprague de Camp (sp!)) that don't quite fit the timeline 100%. but in general they are a fine set of adventure books for any young man :)
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I also am in the Huxley and Orwell camp, as both A Brave New World and 1984 are actually more important to this last decade(s) in terms of how our political systems distort and lead us all to captivity (first mentally, then ultimately physically).

Catch 22 was a great book on the idiocy of war and man, and funny at the same time.

HG Wells stuff is extra special when you consider the time it was being written in, like he had some kind of crystal ball (or Time Machine!) or something. For sci-fi in general i'm not a fan of the newer stuff (mostly), a lot of it is too entrenched in our current society problems (not in the way Orwell or Huxley saw it either, actually the opposite), but loved the big world ideas of Gregg Bear. Obviously Asimov and Clark.

Curve ball suggestions: Anything by the Dali Lama. Any religious teachings on 'Wisdom'. The Way of Wyrd. As many 'old texts' from the ancient/classical world as you can find (you know the Greeks, Romans, Chinese (Tao etc)) just because knowing where you come from can better guide you to where you are going and the more of us that see we are all actually the same, the better that future will be.
 

Stigbob

Stigbob
Zak Gordon said:
I agree 100%. Noam Chomsky is not someone i agree 100% with, but in general on the wider issues he is rarely wrong, and it will be a sad day for us all when he is gone.

On the Conan chronicles you need to be a little careful as there are a number of them (non Howard or Sprague de Camp (sp!)) that don't quite fit the timeline 100%. but in general they are a fine set of adventure books for any young man :)
--------
I also am in the Huxley and Orwell camp, as both A Brave New World and 1984 are actually more important to this last decade(s) in terms of how our political systems distort and lead us all to captivity (first mentally, then ultimately physically).

Catch 22 was a great book on the idiocy of war and man, and funny at the same time.

HG Wells stuff is extra special when you consider the time it was being written in, like he had some kind of crystal ball (or Time Machine!) or something. For sci-fi in general i'm not a fan of the newer stuff (mostly), a lot of it is too entrenched in our current society problems (not in the way Orwell or Huxley saw it either, actually the opposite), but loved the big world ideas of Gregg Bear. Obviously Asimov and Clark.

Curve ball suggestions: Anything by the Dali Lama. Any religious teachings on 'Wisdom'. The Way of Wyrd. As many 'old texts' from the ancient/classical world as you can find (you know the Greeks, Romans, Chinese (Tao etc)) just because knowing where you come from can better guide you to where you are going and the more of us that see we are all actually the same, the better that future will be.
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I liked most of Orwell's writing, but really took against him after I read Down and out in Paris and London. The way he treated his old colleagues from the restaurant in Paris after he sent a telegram off for money and a job via the old boys network just killed him off for me. I know he later regretted it and reflected on how he had just been playing at it all along for research but it screamed champagne socialist so much I lost interest in reading his books.
 

Zieman

Zieman
Mika Waltari : The Egyptian
Alastair Reynolds : every scifi piece he ever wrote
Isaac Asimov : Robot series + the original Foundation trilogy
J. R. R. Tolkien : The Silmarillion, Unfinished tales, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings
Robert E. Howard : The Complete Chronicles of Conan (has all the original stories, not butchered by De Camp or anyone else)
Arthur C. Clarke : most of his works
Stanislaw Lem : whatever you can find on your language, at least The Invincible, Solaris & Eden
 
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starman

starman
From observation adults don't seem to be reading books. Books are for kids with lots of bright coloured pictures, and only when they are told to do so. What happens when they grow up? Paying for books is also a rare occurrence. I have my doubt if many can actually read, I mean I properly.

What about audio books?

Farenheit 451 is here.
 

ethelred

ethelred
starman said:
From observation adults don't seem to be reading books. Books are for kids with lots of bright coloured pictures, and only when they are told to do so. What happens when they grow up? Paying for books is also a rare occurrence. I have my doubt if many can actually read, I mean I properly.

What about audio books?

Farenheit 451 is here.
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Heh, I work in publishing and there's loads of books being sold.

Ebooks did outnumber print for a while, but print is slightly ahead of ebooks at the moment.
 

Alec Turner

Alec Turner
9780099410676.jpg


(other covers are available)
 

starman

starman
Arry said:
Translate the word Bible into English and it simply means; BOOK.

My Nan's maiden name was Wells, H.G. was her uncle and a very good story teller. They say he wrote The sleeper wakes, over the course of about two weeks; to pay his first kid's school fees.
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Breaking the forum rules of keeping personal identity secret.. well cover blown anyways

I did a degree Called Science and science fiction. Awarded First. Basically Astronomy and exploring science fiction in detail academically. The Academics who ran the course have done very well from it. The department was closed down because it didn't fit the standard profile of a university degree. It has come very handy when operating Elite Dangerous. I am a Programmer by trade, self taught.
 

starman

starman
ethelred said:
Heh, I work in publishing and there's loads of books being sold.

Ebooks did outnumber print for a while, but print is slightly ahead of ebooks at the moment.
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Yes but its the same people and probably to female/parents/libraries. Need a bit more specific.
 

Phongsalt

Phongsalt
Ian M Banks- gotta love the culture
William Gibson- underpins current meta,imo.
Robert Heinlein- might have spelt it wrong,but moon is a harsh mistress,Stranger in a Strange land
Zelazny -Amber series
Arthur C. Clarke
Brian Aldiss
Phillip K.
Adam Roberts- Gradisil
Joe Haldeman
Alfred Bester

**** but we can say Svaginathorpe apparently.or possibly Snoonythorpe
 
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WeComeInPeace

WeComeInPeace
Phongsalt said:
Ian M Banks- gotta love the culture
William Gibson- underpins current meta,imo.
Robert Heinlein- might have spelt it wrong,but moon is a harsh mistress,Stranger in a Strange land
Zelazny -Amber series
Arthur C. Clarke
Brian Aldiss
Phillip K.****
Adam Roberts- Gradisil
Joe Haldeman
Alfred Bester

**** but we can say Svaginathorpe apparently.or possibly Snoonythorpe
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Careful now, I might report you on your foul language ;)
 

WeComeInPeace

WeComeInPeace
OT, but to the moderators: Could you guide us to a list of prohibited words? Especially now that Huxley has been mentioned. I guess Huxley is doubleplus-borderline?

Edit: Orwell that is. I keep mixing those two.
 
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