# Recommend a book **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 30, 2004, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book/277323 "2004-11-30T14:11:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book/277323/21 "2004-12-01T05:20:59Z")
If you like the O’Brian series, check out the Horatio Hornblower series. They’re a few decads old now, but still well worth reading. I thoroughly enjoyed them. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book/277323/22 "2004-12-01T05:24:46Z")
> [@JoeSki](#): > > Would Something Wicked be a good place to return to Bradbury? . I’m not **burundi** , but have you read Bradbury’s short stories? Nothing wrong with Something Wicked (it worked for me as a teen but not so much when I tried a re-read much later), but Bradbury’s short stories really kick butt. I think everybody writing in SF, horror, and fantasy has borrowed something from him. And those **do** hold up. ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book/277323/23 "2004-12-01T05:45:06Z")
> [@PookahMacPhellimey](#): > > For some really strange but wonderful writing try Russell Hoban’s _Amaryllis Night and Day_. I thought I’d throw that in because 1. I love that book and 2. you like China Mieville so you can take a good amount of the weird. Russell Hoban has written a series of children’s books about a badger named Frances. So-so books I read aloud to my kids. I was amazed when i found the books he’s written for adults. “Turtle Diaries” was really great. Another great and unusual book I read last year was “Life of Pi” about an East indian boy who is stranded in the middle of the ocean in a liferaft with a tiger. Fantastic imagination this author has. ---
**Author:** ![august9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7993a0/32.png) [@august9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/august9)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book/277323/24 "2004-12-01T06:41:30Z")
> [@burundi](#): > > **august9** , I keep reading the first 20 pages of _Foucault’s Pendulum_ and getting stuck. Someday, I’ll read the whole thing, I swear. I’ll hold you to that promise 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Estilicon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Estilicon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Estilicon)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book/277323/25 "2004-12-01T14:08:37Z")
Another vote fo Jorge Luis Borges. His short stories are simply fantastic. Trye to read the collection named “Ficciones”: “The secret miracle”, “Funes el Memorioso”, “El Sur”, “The library of Babel”, “The lottery in Babylon”, are among the best thing I ever read. If you like historical fiction I will recomend you a magnificent series “The accursed Kings”, by Maurice Druon (check it in Amazon). It’s about the last capetian kings of France. Well written, great characters, it has it all and more. You won’t regret it.- My favourite science ficition writer is John Varley. Gaea is a great place to start, you will also love millenium.- ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book/277323/26 "2004-12-01T14:20:01Z")
Oh, Borges’s _Ficciones_! Yeah, definitely read that. And I second the recommendation that you read _The Life of Pi_. And, JoeSki–I haven’t read any Ray Bradbury in a while, but I remember really liking _The Martian Chronicles_ and _The October Country_. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book/277323/27 "2004-12-01T14:49:50Z")
I don’t read fantasy at all except for [Jonathon Carroll](http://www.jonathancarroll.com/) who I discovered by accident. One of the few genuinely unique voices in modern writing. ---
**Author:** ![burundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burundi)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book/277323/28 "2004-12-01T15:52:54Z")
**JoeSki** , I heartily recommend _Something Wicked This Way Comes_. It’s beautifully written and delightfully creepy. I’ll have to look for Bradbury’s short stories, too. _The Accursed Kings_ sounds just up my alley, **Estilicon**. I remember the Frances books! I’ll try to find Hoban’s adult stuff at the library. **don’t ask** , Jonathan Carroll is great. If you like him, try Graham Joyce. His books remind me some of Carroll’s, but he has a very distinct voice of his own. My two favorites are _The Tooth Fairy_ and _The Facts of Life_ (which won the World Fantasy Award, despite the fantasy in it being rather subtle), but I’ve never read anything by him that I disliked. ---
**Author:** ![look\_hergo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85e7bf/32.png) [@look\_hergo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/look_hergo)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book/277323/29 "2004-12-01T16:44:28Z")
Oooh, ooh! I forgot to mention **Mary Renault**. She wrote history-based fictionalized accounts of the life of Alexander the Great and others. My favorite is **The King Must Die** , which is about Theseus, who went into the maze to fight the Minotaur. She continues the story in **The Bull From the Sea**. Great stuff! ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book/277323/30 "2004-12-01T17:01:11Z")
> [@burundi](#): > > **don’t ask** , Jonathan Carroll is great. If you like him, try Graham Joyce. His books remind me some of Carroll’s, but he has a very distinct voice of his own. My two favorites are _The Tooth Fairy_ and _The Facts of Life_ (which won the World Fantasy Award, despite the fantasy in it being rather subtle), but I’ve never read anything by him that I disliked. People who like Jonathan Carroll (and I’m one) would also like William Browning Spencer. I think he’s only written three books and a collection of short stories, and he’s not in print, but he’s worth looking into. ---
**Author:** ![SavageNarce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@SavageNarce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SavageNarce)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book/277323/31 "2004-12-01T19:42:41Z")
If you like Bradbury, then you have to check out some of the other “greats” in the Sci-Fi / Fantasy genre: Harlan Ellison, Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, Andre Norton and Philip K. Dick are just a few. For historical fiction that is really readable and entertaining, I recommend Jean Auel (start with the first, “Clan of the Cave Bear” - perhaps more **pre** historic than historic), Stuart Kaminsky’s “Toby Peters” series (a Hollywood Golden Age gumshoe, start with “Murder on the Yellow Brick Road” which more or less introduces all the characters in the subsequent books of the series), Ib Melchior, and Kenneth Roberts. For Harry Potter fans, check out the trilogy (Golden Compass, Subtle Knife, Amber Spyglass) by Philip Pullman. If you like the Lindsey Davis “Falco” novels, then you should also look at Steven Saylor’s roman-era mysteries (Roman Blood, Arms of Nemesis, and others) \*\*Other favourites: \*\* - The master of the Procedural is the late Arthur Hailey - “Wheels”, “Airport”, “Hotel” and all the others give some fascinating insights into how things work behind the scenes. - Tony Hillerman’s Navajo mysteries (gradually coming to PBS) - Anything by James Lee Burke - Hard to find but worth looking for is CW Grafton’s “Beyond a Reasonable Doubt” - considered to be one of the best mysteries ever written. I managed to get a copy through an inter-library loan. CW is the father of Sue (A is for Alibi and so on) Grafton, and even his paperback reprints are selling now for $40. - James Michener - try to find a copy of his short stories, “Tales of the South Pacific”, written from his experiences in WWII - they were the inspiration for the movie. - Martin Cruz Smith - mysteries set in the old Soviet Union, starting with the movie inspiration “Gorky Park” ---
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book/277323/32 "2004-12-01T21:05:44Z")
I’ve read everything **Ray Bradbury** has written, and agree about his short stories–October Country is a must. Also agree about **Mary Renault’s** series. And yes, **The Incidence of the Fingerpost.** Finally, one more push for **The Time Traveler’s Wife** by Audrey Niffenegger. I’ve read all of Gabaldon’s **Outlander** series, and it is good. Niffenegger’s book is great. This book crackles with intelligence, creativity, and emotion. ---
**Author:** ![burundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burundi)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book/277323/33 "2004-12-01T21:37:56Z")
You make a strong case for Niffenegger, **Caprese**. Plus, what a fun name! Niffenegger, Niffenegger, Niffenegger. 🙂 I’ll put the book on my list. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book/277323/34 "2004-12-01T21:43:34Z")
I’m trying to think of some stuff that’s been out a few years, as I find that anything “recent” is impossible to pick up at the library without putting a hold on it. I was really intrigued by The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead. How to describe it, hmm. The book takes place in some sort of alternative metropolis of an indeterminate time very similar to the mid 20th century. The main character is an elevator inspector, a job which in this universe is very professionalised and important, the elevator being a much more celebrated invention than it is in the real world. (The arguments for its architectural and engineering status in that world are thought-provoking, given how much elevators have changed city skylines and have enabled urban areas to grow up, not out. I found myself asking why we don’t care more about them). Anyway, in this world the field of elevator inspection is divided into to two philosophical camps: those who inspect elevators via technical criteria, and those who can “feel” how an elevator is working. The main character is involved in a mystery when one of the elevators she had just inspected plunges to the bottom of the shaft. I know this sounds like the stupidest book ever, but it’s actually pretty cool and quite complex. ---
**Author:** ![JoeSki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b487fb/32.png) [@JoeSki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeSki)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book/277323/35 "2004-12-01T23:45:27Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > I’m not **burundi** , but have you read Bradbury’s short stories? Nothing wrong with Something Wicked (it worked for me as a teen but not so much when I tried a re-read much later), but Bradbury’s short stories really kick butt. I think everybody writing in SF, horror, and fantasy has borrowed something from him. > > And those **do** hold up. Actually, a short story is what turned me onto Bradbury. I was in one of my English classes some years back, and read a story about some guy who lived in a very technological advanced aged, but hated technology. Eventually a psychiatrist came over to talk to him about his hatred, and listened to his stories of destroying stuff, throwing a tv out of a window, etc. At the end of the story, the guy was deemed insane, and was carried away in a straighjacket. I can’t remember the title of the story, but it struck me as Douglas Adams esque for some odd reason, and I really enjoyed it. After that, I read about 3/4 of Fahrenheit in a Barnes and Nobles (not all in one sitting), bought it, and finished it at home. It still remains one of my favorite books. Is there a Bradbury book containing all of his short stories? > [@Scribble](#): > > Oh, Borges’s _Ficciones_! Yeah, definitely read that. > > And I second the recommendation that you read _The Life of Pi_. > > And, JoeSki–I haven’t read any Ray Bradbury in a while, but I remember really liking _The Martian Chronicles_ and _The October Country_. A good friend of mine has been suggesting The Martian Chronicles to me for a while now. I’ll pick that up sooner or later. > [@burundi](#): > > **JoeSki** , I heartily recommend _Something Wicked This Way Comes_. It’s beautifully written and delightfully creepy. I’ll have to look for Bradbury’s short stories, too. So be it. I’ll pick it up sometime next year. Sounds like it oughta be right up my alley after reading a amazon review or two. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book/277323/36 "2004-12-02T00:24:27Z")
> [@JoeSki](#): > > Is there a Bradbury book containing all of his short stories? I don’t know if there’s a single book with **all** his short stories; it’d have to be huge, but **Dark Carnival** was reprinted a few years ago by Gauntlet Press, and I’d argue that that’s a definitive collection. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book/277323/37 "2004-12-02T00:36:59Z")
If you are interested in Reading Lolita in Tehran, I think it helps if you’ve read Lolita, Pride and Prejudice, Great Gatsby and Washington Square/Daisy Miller. Not necessary, but helpful. And they are all classics/ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book/277323.md?page=1)