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A Good Read: Book Suggestions & Recommendations

Micromegas by Voltaire is an interesting take on the perception of onesself and one's surrounds. Whilst not strictly fortean.. it is a little bit. Read it and you'll see :)
 
Can anyone point me to a site that would have the puzzles from The Da Vinci Code? I found one that was the official companian to the book (apparently), but that was both dull and frustratingly slow, and also not a code, rather a general-knowledge quiz. I got to the third question and decided that I didn't care.

I am interested in the book, but have heard that it's basically a bog-standard potboiler with a few Fortean trappings, which is not my scene at all. I certainly don't want to read it because it's the latest book that everybody has to have read (like A Brief History Of Time and The Satanic Verses), in fact that makes me want to read it less. However, if the puzzles are diverting, then it might be worth a trip to the library after all.
 
Flash Bastard!

I'm reading 'War in the Air' (1907), by HG Wells, on my Palm Tungsten E, at the moment.

Still no sign of the widespread use of gyroscopic, cable monorails, or two wheeler cars yet.
 
Sorry Trollface, the Da Vinci Code is really a general knowledge quiz with a few dubious 'facts' thrown in.

It was obviously written for the mass American pulp market (everyone in Britain drinks tea with a slice of lemon). It just let me down a bit, I expected much more.
 
Have to agree with rjm. The Da Vinci Code was boring in my opinion. But the Mothman book and HG Well's might do the trick. I'll check them out (if i can find them). Keep the suggestions coming - I'm loving this thread.
 
That's a shame. I don't think I'll bother n that case. Especially as I will have heard most of the "facts" before, and probably will have a much better idea of their veracity than I would from the book in any case.
 
To bring things in a circle, I've not read the book in question but would be keen to if it manages to cover the subject of Rev Fanthorpe's speech with any coherence or interest at all.
 
Am reading Rubicon: The Triumph & Tragedy of the Roman Republic by Tom Holland, and for a popular history it is stunningly complusive and intelligent. Serious good. If you have any interest in Caesar, Marius, Pompey, Sulla, Crassus, Cato et als or just an curiosity about the Roman World in general i endorse it unreservedly.

As soon as i finish it i've got some interesting Fortean threads to launch on such subjects... 8)
 
The Yithian said:
Am reading Rubicon: The Triumph & Tragedy of the Roman Republic by Tom Holland, and for a popular history it is stunningly complusive and intelligent. Serious good. If you have any interest in Caesar, Marius, Pompey, Sulla, Crassus, Cato et als or just an curiosity about the Roman World in general i endorse it unreservedly.
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Thanks Yith. That's just the ticket for me. :)
 
Andy said:
The Yithian said:
Am reading Rubicon: The Triumph & Tragedy of the Roman Republic by Tom Holland, and for a popular history it is stunningly complusive and intelligent. Serious good. If you have any interest in Caesar, Marius, Pompey, Sulla, Crassus, Cato et als or just an curiosity about the Roman World in general i endorse it unreservedly.
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Thanks Yith. That's just the ticket for me. :)
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Wade in, i lent it to a friend today, let me know what you think of it.
 
I read "The Stories of Breece D'J Pancake" a bit ago and really enjoyed them. They're very... West Virginian -- uniquely so, I think.

Am reading "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" just now, and it's quite interesting and enjoyable, although it's too heavy to really carry about with me, so I have to read it only at home.

And I have to recommend Mark Kurlansky's "Salt, A World History," which got me ridiculed by my family and boyfriend, who were with me when I bought it, but who subsequently wanted to hear stories about salt at every meal. :lol: A really good read; Kurlansky has a gift for weird history. I believe he also has a historical biography of the codfish, but I haven't read it yet.

I don't have terribly intellectual recommendations, I'm afraid, but if it's fun you're looking for, you could do worse...
 
Thank you ! sunsplash :D you made my morning ! ( I'm up early doing "was" my books) "saucer smear" can really be fun to read and time consuming!! But I seem to always find cool info-ruff
 
Renigirl said:
I read "The Stories of Breece D'J Pancake" a bit ago and really enjoyed them. They're very... West Virginian -- uniquely so, I think.
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That's a cool book Renigirl :) I was given this a few years ago by a relative who was making space to go and buy even more books. I was quite grateful this ended up in the pile that they had earmarked for me. I have to agree with the reviews on Amazon, Trilobites is one story that stood out for me too but this is a book that I can read again and again.

A bit of trivia about him, the D'J was a typo on one of his earliest published stories, it amused him so much that he kept it. On the night of his suicide he let himself into a stranger's house, sitting in the dark for hours and then running away when the family came home. Also, on a fortean note, his mother and lecturer who later became his friend and who also wrote the foreword to this book, both believe that they have been visited by Breece's ghost.
 
For a not quite mindless read try the 'Orcs' trilogy by Stan Nicholls.
Fantasy series told from the orcs POV.
 
What Books?

I know there was a thread about books people were reading (i searched all 5 pages but no joy) but it seems to have vanished.Apologies if its still around and my bat like vision missed it. :shock:


Well i have just read Needfull Things (Stephen King) and to be honest im getting a little bored of his books.He seems to have a list of about 10 characters that put in an appearance in every story, you know, the alcoholic the wife beater etc.

I have just started a book that has been recommended to me by a few friends so thought i would give it a go.Its called 'Life of Pi' by Yann Martel.

"An audacious book in which inventiveness explores belief." Lisa Jardine, chair of Booker Judges 2002
 
I know just what you mean about Stephen King. They're good, they just all seem the same. Same locations, same people, same time..
I used to prefer James Herbert over Stephen King. Maybe because he's British, the settings, the language and style seemed that much closer to home. Some of his later ones were a little weak though (in my inexpert opinion).

Not sure what else to recommend though - depends what sort of genre you go for.

Steve.
 
it being That Time Of Year, i am reading The Essence of Analogue Electronics by Colin Lunn, Success in Electronics by Tom Duncan and Introductory Nuclear Physics by Kenneth S Krane. :(

when exam panic wears thin i'm reading Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie. I was reading the Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac but i seem to have lost it. i think it's behind the sofa.
 
I'm reading 'Memories, Dreams & Reflections', which is Carl Jung's (auto)biography. It's very, very good.

I also got a new copy of Douglas Coupland's Generation X yesterday, which is one of my favourite ever books.
 
sjwk said:
I know just what you mean about Stephen King. They're good, they just all seem the same. Same locations, same people, same time..
I used to prefer James Herbert over Stephen King. Maybe because he's British, the settings, the language and style seemed that much closer to home. Some of his later ones were a little weak though (in my inexpert opinion).

Not sure what else to recommend though - depends what sort of genre you go for.

Steve.
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I have a book tittled The Spear, which i think is by James Herbert? I've had it for about 10 years and haven't got round to reading it yet!! Quite bad i know.It doesn't help when the girlfriend (who works in publishing) brings home piles of books every other day.I will shortly have a small liberary to read through!!
 
GiantRobot said:
I'm reading 'Memories, Dreams & Reflections', which is Carl Jung's (auto)biography. It's very, very good.

I also got a new copy of Douglas Coupland's Generation X yesterday, which is one of my favourite ever books.
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I had no idea who Carl jung is so i googled it.Does look interesting and i will have to add it to the pile!
 
Well, the other day I read Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote which is wonderful and well recommended - it even succeeds in being miles better than the film which is also wonderful.

Then I read "Watching the English" by Kate Fox, a truly badly written piece of lightweight social anthropology which is interesting in places but is somewhat ruined by all the "...or whatever"s at the end of sentences.

Yesterday I read "Look back in Anger" by John Osborne, which is a terrific play but quite difficult, the way the characters act with each other.

Now I'm reading "the have a word for it" by somebody or other, about "untranslatable" words that we should have in the English language to widen our outlook (I personally don't subscribe to the idea that you can only have concepts if you have words for them). It seems ok.
 
I'm reading Stalin's biography by Edward Radzhinsky and re-reading "The Devil Wears Prada". Don't know what this combination says about me. :roll:
 
My favourite author of the moment is Kelley Armstrong, a Horror writer using the werewolf or witch as the main character - very addictive reading http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/.

Also been reading alot of Philippa Gregory (author of 'The Other Boleyn girl', which was made into a UK programme) Historical Fiction.

I do like Stephen King and Dean Koontz (where the hell did the R go?) but I prefer the older books like 'IT' and 'Midnight' to the newer stuff that they've done. Koontz has gone much more of a paranoia writer.

Agree with James H - Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's is excellent :)
 
Just read Whisky Galore by Compton MacKenzie for the first time.
It's recently been re-packaged and re-released I think.
Lovely gentle humour, the kind that doesn't seem to be written anymore.
 
sjoh9 said:
GiantRobot said:
I'm reading 'Memories, Dreams & Reflections', which is Carl Jung's (auto)biography. It's very, very good.

I also got a new copy of Douglas Coupland's Generation X yesterday, which is one of my favourite ever books.
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I had no idea who Carl jung is so i googled it.Does look interesting and i will have to add it to the pile!
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Jung was an absolute genius - his ideas are very important to me, and I think they're well worth getting into for Forteans. He came up with the concepts of archetypes, the collective unconscious and synchronicity. He's also written about alchemy and its deeper psychological/spiritual meaning, UFOs, poltergeists and other weird and wonderful stuff.

"Jung: A Very Short Introduction" is a very good book on him.
 
GiantRobot said:
I'm reading 'Memories, Dreams & Reflections', which is Carl Jung's (auto)biography. It's very, very good.
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By a remarkable coincidence, that's exactly what I'm reading! When I've finished that I'll be moving on to one called 'Blink' by Malcolm Gladwell.
 
Mireli said:
My favourite author of the moment is Kelley Armstrong, a Horror writer using the werewolf or witch as the main character - very addictive reading http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/.
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I'm waiting to read Haunted, I'm not sure if it's been published here yet [?]. You're right about the addictive reading, I couldn't put Industrial Magic down!

On other books, I recently finished Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons and I'm currently smitten by the Erast Fandorin books by Boris Akunin and about to start Turkish Gambit.
 
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