Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond, which was not only so well written that I actually didn’t want to put it down (a rare achievement for a non-fiction book about sociological issues) but it completely changed the way I look at many issues, from the eco stuff like vegetarian vs. non and enviromental preservation, to stuff like evolution and the like. An amazing book which seems like it would be de rigeur for anyone who enjoys SDMB.
A Staggering Work of Heartbreaking Genius by Dave Eggers, which you will like if you favor the sort of self-consciously-neurotic-and-yet-funny-and-poignant writing of author like David Foster Wallace (these two seem so similar to me). OK, the book’s a bit uneven but it does have it’s brilliant parts, and for a memoir has a fascinating story to tell (boy loses both parents and is saddled with raising kid brother).
puts me in mind of one of Cecil’s columns (or was it a mailbag? No, I think it was Cecil) about names for, er, poo-poo. One book he referred to was called something like “Origins of Obscure Words” and he noted that it’s a work any self-respecting know-it-all ought to have a copy of. What appropriate advice for the SDMB’s teeming millions!?
spoke- – Thanks for “Who Goes There?” I’m really going to be grouchy until I find the book I’ve got somewhere floating around my house. I might be old and gray before that happens, though! I’m finding myself counting the stories from this collection that I can recall. I want to go back and re-read them! And Run with the Horsemen sounds just up my alley! Thanks!
Hmmmm. Are you trying to review this book, or market it? I don’t know what parallels you could draw between a book like that and the ones I’m talking about, (the ones I mentioned are adventure/fantasy).
I think when it comes to teens, they really appreciate you talking to them the way you would talk to anyone else, not dumbing things down. Tell them that the story is a bit dated but the emotions can be the same: an unwanted/unplanned pregnancy changes your life forever. In some ways we can be grateful society is more permissive, (young women who go through this are rarely shunned), on the other hand, maybe a little more discouragement of this sort of behavior would help prevent it. Encourage them to read it and form their own opinion, see if the book alters their point of view.
The two biggest issues for young people, when it comes to enjoying a book, are usually the same as with anyone: is it fun to read? If not “fun,” is it engrossing?. Are the emotions and responses of the characters genuine? Surely you can tell if it’s boring or not . . . Just tell them what you thought. Most young people want something they can relate to, which is why the ages of the characters are so important. I think the fact that the heroine(?) is young is likely to be a selling point. Other teens will want to see how she handles it, even though the setting is not modern. When I was a teenager, I was annoyed by adult authors heavy-handed attempts to set a “modern” tone that the kids would be hip to. Argh! I’d rather read a sincere story set in a less familiar time, even now.
Who Goes There? [as by Don A. Stuart], (na) Astounding Aug ’38
Baker’s Dozen: 13 Short Science Fiction Novels, ed. Isaac Asimov, Martin H. Greenberg & Charles G. Waugh, Bonanza, 1985
Cinemonsters, ed. Martin H. Greenberg, TSR, 1987
Science Fiction, ed. Patricia S. Warrick, Charles G. Waugh & Martin H. Greenberg, Harper & Row, 1988
The Mammoth Book of Classic Science Fiction, ed. Isaac Asimov, Martin H. Greenberg & Charles G. Waugh, Robinson, 1988
Great Tales of Classic Science Fiction, ed. Isaac Asimov, Charles G. Waugh & Martin H. Greenberg, Galahad, 1990
Foundations of Fear, ed. David G. Hartwell, Tor, 1992
Reel Future, ed. Forrest J Ackerman & Jean Stine, SFBC, 1994
Worlds of Fear, ed. David G. Hartwell, Tor, 1994
Between Time and Terror, ed. Robert Weinberg, Stefan Dziemianowicz & Martin H. Greenberg, Penguin/Roc, 1995
I recently dug up an old copy of Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry and started that. Saw the mini-series but never really felt like sitting down and chewing on the book.
But, I must say that it’s one of the most instantly readable books I’ve ever come across…
jubei2k, I’ve been looking everywhere for my copy of that book. I KNOW I used to have one before we moved…I really want to read it. I saw the mini-series so many times I almost have it memorized.
OK, on my nightstand right now are: Chaos by Gleick At Home in the Universe by Stuart Kaufmann Goedel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter (sp?)
The latest issues of Scientific American and Discovery magazines.
So I’m a geek.
On my list for the future are: Guns, Germs and Steel - I’ve been wanting to get to that for over a year now. Lord of the Rings. Again. I’ve definitely got to reread it before the movies start coming out.
The next Robert Jordan book, if it ever comes out.
Ditto with George R.R. Martin and Orson Scott Card.
To start a little side-thread, is it just me or is Card not much of an idea man? Look at his hits:
The Alvin Maker series - loosely based on the life of Mormon prophet Joseph Smith.
The Memory of Earth series - loosely based on the Book of Mormon.
Ender’s Game - OK, that one’s his. But his sequels got progressively worse. And his current project is the retelling of the same story from different peoples’ perspectives.
Don’t get me wrong, I like his work. It just seems that he’s a lot better at telling other peoples’ stories than writing his own.
Anyone else care?
This seems to have turned into a “what are you reading now” thread, so:
Ramage & the Freebooters by Dudley Pope - A small press rereleased the first three volumes of the Ramage series (Napoleonic era sailing adventures). I’m glad they did so but I’m hoping they continue the series as I’ve never found a copy of the fourth book of the series and that’s where I’ve hit a dead end in the past.
Resurrection Day by Brendan DuBois - An alternate history novel about a world where the Cuban missile crisis caused a limited nuclear war and the United States is now a second rate power. Very reminiscent of Robert Harris’ Fatherland.
Conspiracies, Lies, and Hidden Agendas by Mick Farren - An interesting reference work to various conspiracy theories. Tongue-in-cheek yet informative which matches my own attitude towards most of this material.
Night of the Dragon’s Blood by William Pridgen - A small press vampire novel. Written in an intentionally slightly over the top style it has Adolf Hitler becoming a vampire in 1944 and fleeing to Argentina so he can pursue Eva Peron.
What Einstein Told His Barber by Robert L. Wolke - A Straight Dope-esque book of answers to questions. The humor is lighter and the questions are more science oriented.
and last but not least;
Anna Held and the Birth of Ziegfield’s Broadway - The author’s name escapes me but still I have to say this is the definitive Anna Held biography of this century.
Larry McMurtry is very readable! Even some of his poorer books where the plot doesn’t hold up, are still enjoyable for their lively dialogue alone. Lonesome Dove is great, and I assume you’ve read Terms of Endearment as well, one of McMurtry’s other greats. Also The Last Picture Show. There are tons of others too!
I enjoyed White Oleander more than I thought possible, especially the ending. Also loved Snow Falling On Cedars (I think there’s a LOT missing from the movie, though I haven’t seen it yet), The Liar’s Club (Mary Karr), She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb), Contact (Carl Sagan), True Crime (Andrew Klavan), Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt), The Regulators (Richard Bachman)
That’s what I can think of off the top of my head. I’m currently reading “Lost Moon” by Jim Lovell, re: the failed Apollo 13 mission.
Larry McMurtry is very readable! Even some of his poorer books where the plot doesn’t hold up, are still enjoyable for their lively dialogue alone. Lonesome Dove is great, and I assume you’ve read Terms of Endearment as well, one of McMurtry’s other greats. Also The Last Picture Show. There are tons of others too!
I enjoyed White Oleander more than I thought possible, especially the ending. Also loved Snow Falling On Cedars (I think there’s a LOT missing from the movie, though I haven’t seen it yet), The Liar’s Club (Mary Karr), She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb), Contact (Carl Sagan), True Crime (Andrew Klavan), Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt), The Regulators (Richard Bachman)
That’s what I can think of off the top of my head. I’m currently reading “Lost Moon” by Jim Lovell, re: the failed Apollo 13 mission.
Hmm…shit, I bought an arm load of books from a store front school last week…on the way back to work, I was hit by a bus…my brains were scattered all over the street.
My wife, Morgan Fairchild, was quite upset.
Now, I shall return to my book, Tom Clancy’s “The Shining”
“Bless Me Ultima” reminded me, Rudolfo Anaya spoke at my dad’s graduation in New Mexico last month. BOY, does that guy push the hispanic-folklore agenda. I sat there thinking, “This ain’t a political forum, dude, just move on…”
At the moment, I’m reading lotsa books about death and advance directives. Sadly, summer law school doesn’t allow one much time for recreational reading.
Edwardina – Heh-heh, nope, I’m not marketing the book. But your thoughts were very, very helpful to me! I was looking to discover what a teen might want out of a book, and lo and behold I find it’s just what I want out of a book. Thank you for making that clear!
RealityChuck – You’re out to save my sanity, I can tell. I’ll bet my collection is one of the Asimov compilations of classic sci-fi. Neither are on amazon (which of course isn’t definitive) but I’m afraid they’re out of print. Back to the boxes in the attic for me.
Lonesome Dove – Oh, by far one of my favorite novels. The Streets of Laredo, a prequel, was simply awful. I had to go re-read LD to get the taste out of my mouth. His dialogue is wonderful, the characterizations superb and the humor sly. Perfect combination.
Brunetter – I’m with ya on White Oleander. I’m leery of Oprah books, but this one is quite gripping. Have you read Expecting Adam, which I mentioned above? I think you’d like it. And I was enthralled with Snow Falling On Cedars. A lot of my friends said they had trouble getting into it, but I adored all the side tales that wove in and out of the main story. I felt as though all those people were teeming inside the author, crying to get out and into the story! Yet it wasn’t disruptive. A very satisfying read.
I love hearing what everyone’s reading, but i sure hope this doesn’t just turn into a “what I’m reading now” thing.
A book that had a strong impression on me when I read it in college was The World According to Garp by John Irving. It’s impossible to describe just how Irving was able to transport me to another world entirely (maybe I was just too impressionable, LOL). Perhaps it was the first serious, adult novels I’d read that made me think and laugh at the same time. I don’t know, but I’ve loved Irving ever since. I finished A Widow for One Year not long ago and it seemed very Garpesque.
Thanks, Nemo! [do they make a smiley-face that blows kisses?]
I am in the midst of a WONDERFUL new bio of poor Sharon Tate, by Greg King—when you’re through with MY book, rush out and buy this one! It’s from a crappy publisher, though (no bibliography or index, and real shoddy editing), but Greg King is such a good writer he manages to overcome that.
Also just read an excellent mystery, “Grievance,” by K.C. Constantine. Unlike the King book,this one is well written AND well edited!
I have finally succumbed to the Robert Jordan insanity and am currently reading “The Shadow Rising.” The series is better than I expected it to be (I am automatically suspicious of anything this popular), but not transcendent, either. It’s better than most fantasy out these days.
However, I’d much rather talk about some of the really great books I’ve read:
The River Why by David James Duncan. All my friends started the book and said, “Fishing? This is a book about fishing?” It starts out that way, yes. But really, it’s not just about fishing. Towards the end it’s hardly about fishing at all. If you can get through the first few pages, you’ll be in heaven. This is a good yarn.
Seventh Heaven by Alice Hoffman. It’s hard to pick a favorite, all of her books are so good, but I’d have to choose this one above all as having the most elements I liked, probably because I read it when I was in high school and there are high school age characters in it.
Where Is Joe Merchant? by Jimmy Buffett. This is good hammock reading. I was amazed by the complexity of the plot, and the wealth of interesting characters, in this book. I like books full of weird folks and weird goings on. I’m just weird that way.
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins. In speaking of weird folks and weird goings on . . . Of course, Tom is lovable for other reasons: he writes as though he had bathed in poetry and then rolled naked on the page. He was my writing idol before I met the gentle, quiet Ursula K. LeGuin.
The Wizard of Earthsea series by Ursula K. LeGuin. A master (mistress?) of simplicity, she taught me that writing didn’t have to be grandiose to be impactful. Plus, her stories have a mythic quality that I would love to see more of. My favorite of this series is the last one, Tehanu. Of course, you have to read the others first.
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. Of all his books, this one is probably the most accessible to the widest range of people. It’s SciFi, but it weaves in layers and flavors from other genres, including some out-there theories on religion. Plus, it’s really funny.
I don’t reaad much non-fiction. Right now I’m in the middle of translating one of my favourite books ever: The Doubter’s Companion by John Ralston Saul. (Political philosophy.)
H.G. Wells made a reader out of me, when I was a lad. I started with War of the Worlds, then The Time Machine, The First Men in the Moon, The Island of Dr. Moreau, and The Invisible Man.
By this point, I was hooked on reading, in general, and science fiction, in particular.
