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Probably a tie between three different Philip K. Dick books and Brave New World
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Radio Free Albemuth by Philip K. Dick
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Besides PKD?
I think Player Piano is a fairly underread, quite underrated Kurt Vonnegut book. And if you like dystopic stuff, check out Beautiful Soup by Harvey Jacobs; I don’t know anyone else who’s read this but it’s so good! -
Eastern Standard Tribe by Cory Doctorow
If I seem obsessive, it’s because I am.
- Hyperion By: Dan Simmons.
Do not let the cover put you off. Granted it is pretty hard sci-fi which many won’t tolerate but it is nonetheless excellent and I believe most people could groove to it. The story is written loosely in the style of the Canterbury Tales. Unless you absolutely, positively cannot stomach sci-fi I highly recommend it. (Sequels are good fun but the first stands apart)
- American Gods By: Neil Gaiman
This books is hard to pigeon hole in a genre. Fantasy/horror/mythology/contemporary fiction…who knows? It is hard to even describe well without making it sound silly. Still, a good book and a fun read.
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Dune by Frank Herbert (do NOT let the movies dissuade you…book is MUCH better)
The Foundation series by Isaac Asimov
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein (even if you saw the movies)
The Reality Dysfunction (series) and/or Pandora’s Star (becoming a series) by Peter Hamilton (I wouldn’t call these high art in writing like the above books but they are a LOT of fun to read…fantastic vacation books) -
Anything else by Neil Gaiman who wrote American Gods. While I was reading American Gods I lost count of how many people came up to me and remarked on the book, how they enjoyed it and how they liked his other stuff. Like American Gods it seems Neil Gaiman is hard to fit in a niche. When I asked how his other most notable work (Neverwhere) compared I invariably got an answer that they were apples and oranges. Gaiman has also written some children’s books (American Gods is decidedly adult in nature…not sure what age his children’s books are aimed at but I think older children) as well as some short stories and illustrated novels. I’ll be trying Neverwhere next and may give Coraline a look.
I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. I’ve seen too many little bookstores go out of business thanks to those guys (and the two big chains in the U.S.). Now that I own my own bookstore, they are, indeed, the evil empire.
I used to shop there myself sometimes, when it first opened. When my favorite bookstore went under, I rethought things. I realized if I want the small bookstores to survive, I have to patronize them rather than sending all of my money to Bezos and Co.
- A Confederacy of Dunces by: John Kennedy Toole
This is one I keep hearing great things about but somehow never manage to get around to reading. The story behind the story is interesting. As I heard it the author wrote the book (and one or two others) but never got them published and in a fit of depression committed suicide. His mother found the manuscripts and started seeking a publisher. Apparently she was unsuccessful for a bit till she practically forced an editor read it. Whoever the editor was decided to humor her. After reading a bit he decided to publish it. In 1981 the book won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
I have seen people reading this and usually take note of them because they are laughing like crazy. Seems like a fun book.
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My favorite book: Hard to pick just one. I’ll go with my Complete Short Stories By H. G. Wells.
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Last good book I read: Dune. Almost done with the Silmarillion right now.
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What I would recommend to others: See my answer to #1
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What book have I heard good things about but not yet read? American Gods. I own it, but don’t want to read it yet.
Sattua, reading this actually made me cry out with joy. Villette is one of my most favorite novels in the world, and hardly anyone, outside of my mother (who recommended it to me with the wonderful knowing look in her eye), has ever heard of it. Whenever I try to describe what I love about it, it gets mangled up and comes out as gibberish. Og bless thee and thine, Sattua.
So, mine are:
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. . . hmm, obviously Villette is on the favorites list, but I also own three copies of Pride and Prejudice because they all have different introductions and critical essays. So, I’ll just pretend that I’m 13 again and say that it’s Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.
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Impossible Saints by Michele Roberts
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Perfume by Patrick Suskind
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Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy (I’m promised that it’s nothing at all like Far from the Madding Crowd with hideous, hideous Bathsheba and ridiculous, balls-less Gabriel Oak. If I like Tess, I might bring myself to read The Mayor of Casterbridge.)
wails Why must I be at college and away from all my favorite books?! Stupid, small dorm rooms.
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The llluminatus! trilogy.
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In the lake of the woods.
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Stranger in a strange land.
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Theory of games and economic behavior.
Tim O’Brien is a truly gifted author. My favorite by him is his story cycle
Okay - not sure if the first attempt took - if so, sorry for the double post. Tim O’Brien is a great author; my favorite by him is The Things They Carried, the short story (actually a story cycle, since many of the stories are different takes on the same people and situations) set in and about Vietnam. Amazing. Your choice is a close second.
BTW, there was a great article in last week’s New Yorker comparing the anti-hero from In the Lake of the Woods to the hero of The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit. The article was about whether society today expects too little of people who go through trauma - as in O’Brien’s book, where the person has trouble coping with trauma, vs. Grey Flannel, where they lead goes through huge trauma during WW2 but just packs it away and carries on…fascinating to read about…
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House of Leaves - Mark Z. Danielowski
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The Rotters Club - Johnathan Coe
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The Descent - Jeff Long
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The His Dark Materials stuff, I’ll get round to it sooner or later.
We were talking about this book over on a horror board, and according to IMDB, a movie is being considered. We were wondering what had become of Patrick Suskind, and it looks like recently he’s written a German television program. Perfume is high on a lot of people’s favorite lists.
The movie thing is either very, very good or very, very bad. On the one hand, Dustin Hoffman and Alan Rickman are supposedly cast. On the other, it’s a wonderful book turned into a movie. Hmmm.
Miss Purl, I don’t know the book, but I’ll be happy to check out any movie starring those two.
I know this is a tricky issue.
I live in a charming English country town, population 10,000. It has one bookshop, run by an efficient lady who knows me by name. I buy all my local history books from there.
But you-know-who.com have provided me with books / videos / CDs + DVDs.
They can offer out-of-print + rare stuff my local bookshop would have no chance of finding (Gutter Brothers - a sadly disbanded skiffle band I once saw performing in London; International Rugby Sevens etc).
Discounts, reviews+ recommendations.
All delivered to my door.
Sorry, but they are just too good not to use.
Do you think many small bookstores are selling at Amazon.com? I buy a lot of secondhand books there, and at least half of them come with a bookmark advertising the seller’s operation.
Maybe some of them are selling from home, but I suspect more than a few small bookstores are using Amazon (and abe.com and half.com etc.) to get stuff out there.
(The closest bookstore to me is 40 miles, and I have more classics to offer than they do.)
Are they going to film it in smell-o-vision? 
When you buy used books on their site, you’re not actually buying them from Amazon (although they take a cut). You’re buying from used bookstores all over the world, as well as quite a few individuals doing a used business out of their house. I’ve sold through them myself (although I don’t any longer - ABE is a much better venue for people who are serious about used books).
As far as the discounts go, I’ve found that I can order a book locally, and the extra shipping cost from Amazon is usually more than the price difference. Any bookstore worth its salt will special order, and most stores can get just about anything that’s in print.
I understand everything you’re saying, but I’m not willing to let a little bit of inconvenience–or even a discount–coerce me into helping to drive the small bookstores out of business. I have a bias, I’ll admit. I’m a writer, and I sell a lot more books through independents than I do through the big chains (or Amazon).
In fact, I bought my own small bookstore a few years ago, and I still make a point of buying from other independent stores when I travel–even though I could wait 'till I get home and get the book at cost.
As I said, it’s tricky.
I did realise that small booksellers sold thru mz*n (are we allowed to use commercial names here?), but doesn’t that provide them with extra customers?
As for shipping charges, I just buy a number of items at a time, when postage is free.
I doubt any bookshop could get videos of rugby sevens - Amazon put me in touch with an incredibly keen Irish chap who searched the World for me. 
Is ABE the same as ABEbooks? (I’ve got several books from them.)
Yes, we can use commercial names.
No, Amazon doesn’t get customers per se. The used bookseller gets a customer, and then they (the bookseller) pays a commission to Amazon. Of course, it’s all in the semantics. You’re using Amazon’s Web site, and it can be set up so that Amazon is handling the billing. But since Amazon never actually owns the merchandise, it’s a transaction between the customer and bookseller.
Yep. ABE stands for Advanced Book Exchange. ABEbooks.com is their Web site. I use them a lot.