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

EISENHORN01

EISENHORN01
So as usual with me this idea popped up after a post on a thread. The comment being how I’d advise everyone to read Guards Guards and witches abroad by Terry Pratchett, i then began thinking what other books would I suggest others to read. Now my own personal library, though large in number, is small in genres. I love sci-fi and fantasy so a lot of my choices would be Sagas and multiple books but here’s a few I’d suggest people read:

LEGEND by David GEMMELL
RIFT WAR SAGA by Raymond E Fiest
EISENHORN trilogy by Dan Abnett ( Gaunts ghosts too if you want to do 15 books)
Lord of the rings
Star Wars Heir to the Empire trilogy by Timothy zahn
Wilbur smiths early books on pre colonial Africa
Tom Clancy (any of his books but advise start at the start haha)

I’m open to all suggestions on stuff to read so post post post, as I once heard somewhere “Teach a child to read and they will never be bored” so I’ve stayed a child and never been bored

This needs moving to off topic please, sorry to any snowflake offended by my incorrect posting
 

VR micmacmoc

VR micmacmoc
Just off the top of my head I read walden by Henry David Thoreau last year, it was very special. I had read 'My side of the mountain' over and over as a kid. Its sort of the adult version of that really.
Hitchikers guide to the galaxy Douglas Adams!
A tale for the time being by Ruth Ozeki
Sensorium of God Trilogy by Stuart Clark
Just started Jim Al Kalili's recent release, Sunfall....very good so far!
Drew Wagar Elite related books are good!
happy reading!
Oh and my most go to book is Graham Wheelers 'brew your own British Ale' a recipe book for many popular brews as well as a how to guide. sadly we lost the delightfully grumpy Graham last year. I miss him and his irascible manner!
 

[VR] M4st0d0n

[VR] M4st0d0n
TheSheepLookUp.jpg
 

Myrm

Myrm
“Teach a child and they will never be bored”.

That may have worked in the pre-games console days, but not so relevant today. Now it should be, “Teach a child to play video games and he’ll never be bored.” >.<

My two books:

1) The First Men in the Moon (H.G Wells)

2) The Bible (God)

(y)
 

RexKraemer

RexKraemer
SciFi:
Dune (1-8), Frank Herbert
Endymion+Hyperion, Dan Simmons

General:
Über den Umgang mit Menschen (On Human Relations), a treatise, Adolph Franz Friedrich Ludwig Knigge
Works of Alfred Adler
Works of Friedrich Nietzsche
 

IndigoWyrd

IndigoWyrd
The Art of War by Sun Tsu

The Dialogues by Plato

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli

The Undiscovered Self: The Dilemma of the Individual in Modern Society by C G Jung

Interviewing and Interrogation for Law Enforcement by John E. Hess

Screw Unto Others by George Hayduke

That should be enough to get you started.

Essays are due by October 1st.
 

bootsam

bootsam
Douglas Adams - If you only ever read one book make sure its HHGTTG
Ian M Banks
James S Coreys The Expanse
Asimovs Foundation and Robot series
Arthur C Clarkes 2001 at least, but also Childhoods End and the Rama ones
Tom Sharpes Sth African Novels - Not scifi but funny nonetheless, also Wilt is better read than it is a film

So many books I could list. Books are ace.
 

ethelred

ethelred
Politics inbound!

Well, only slightly.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.

Yeah you have Utopia, but do you need Utopia?

The Art of War by Sun Tzu

"I have heard that in war haste can be folly, but have never seen delay that was wise"

The Tao of Pooh and the Te of Piglet by Benjamin Hoff

“Things just happen in the right way, at the right time. At least when you let them, when you work with circumstances instead of saying, 'This isn't supposed to be happening this way,' and trying harder to make it happen some other way.”

(Advanced readers can skip straight to the Tao De Ching by Lao Tzu)

Two that should be read in parallel or one after each other:-

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

"I started my life with a single absolute: that the world was mine to shape in the image of my highest values and never to be given up to a lesser standard, no matter how long or hard the struggle."

The Dispossessed by Ursula K Le Guin

“You cannot take what you have not given, and you must give yourself. You cannot buy the Revolution. You cannot make the Revolution. You can only be the Revolution. It is in your spirit, or it is nowhere.”

Finally after all thinking you want a fantastic adventure. Consider Phlebas is good, but his best (sorry no, you are wrong) is

Use of Weapons by Iain M Banks

“You been mud wrestling..?' 'Only with my conscience.' 'Really? Who won?' 'Well, it was one of those rare occasions when violence really doesn't solve anything.”
 

bootsam

bootsam
I agree with Orwell but would suggest Road to Wigan Pier as an antidote to voting Tory/UKIP or any of those other selfish parties.

Up The Workers!
 

Felix DiCestria

Felix DiCestria
The problem is that you have to assume a certain degree of cognition on the part of the audience, unless you want to go for the lowest common denominator and wind up with the Beano... Having said that...

1984 - Orwell
Nightfall - Asimov & Silverberg
Odyssey - Homer
Origin of Species - Darwin
Selfish Gene - Dawkins
Brief History of Time - Hawking
Universe from Nothing - Krauss
Pretty much anything written by Patrick Moore, generally the more pictures the better.
First Life - Attenborough
 

Arry

Arry
Back in the early part of the last century; they said that reading was going to die, due to the radio. Then from the 60s and 70s; they said that reading the written word, was dead; due to the devil's box in the corner. That it would take over our whole lives, control our thoughts and addict us to the dross, it sold to us.

I feel that reading a book, as a pleasure, is a rare thing, these days. There are many writers that I have enjoyed over the years and I could not put one above, any others. Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, Steven King, Clive Cusser, George Orwell and Charles ens (are you kidding me?)are all good story tellers, along with literally thousands of other fiction writers, who can hit the spot. Then there are the writers of non-fiction, the thinkers and those who have studied their chosen subject and put their understand of the world, on paper, for us to share. Such as Desmond Morris, Charles Darwin and Germaine Greer, all who have had an influence, over how we have shaped our world and society. Again, there are literally thousands of these writers to choose from. There are of course, writers to avoid, like Winston Churchill; (whom your grandfather would recommend) who only wrote about, his own view of the history, of his greatness.

So there is no one book for me to recomend, but what I would recommend; is to have a book of choice, on the go; all of the time. These days, due to limits on my time, I try to switch between, fiction and fact. Read a book of fiction, like something by Pratchett and then switch to something factual. The genuine factual stuff, is hard to find; because most is written from the authors perspective and often guided by their own views of the world. Take what interests you, maybe a sport and find a recommended writer of such things. Recommended by a few people, of course. There is a lot of dross out there, but every now and then; you'll find something, fact or fiction. That will make you think, for just amoment and that has to be a good thing.
 
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Arry

Arry
Myrm said:
“Teach a child and they will never be bored”.

That may have worked in the pre-games console days, but not so relevant today. Now it should be, “Teach a child to play video games and he’ll never be bored.” >.<

My two books:

1) The First Men in the Moon (H.G Wells)

2) The Bible (God)

(y)
Click to expand...
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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