Inspired by the “Bibliophile” thread and the fact that my birthday was just last week, I’ve decided to spend $200 on books at Amazon.com. My only question now is, what books? I like to read just about everything, from science fiction to biographies to historical novels to techno-thrillers to non-fiction to… well, you get the picture.
Anyone have any good recommendations? I’m thinking about getting the Nick Bantock Griffin & Sabine series, as well as perhaps a book or two by Stephen Jay Gould. But that’s as far as I’ve got.
Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
All the Straight Dope books
Second Hand
A Heartbreaking work by a staggering genuius (I think thats the title, I believe the author is Dave Eggers)
Any David Sedaris
more as time permits
Got all the SD books (some I have multiple copies of). I have The Santaland Diaries by David Sedaris, but am still lusting for Me Talk Pretty One Day.
Got 'em. In fact I have two copies of the Lord of the Rings series. One is in paperback so I can tote it around in my backpack, and one is a nice leather-bound set with engravings and beautiful illustrations.
Everything by Charles DeLint–Dreams Underfoot is a good introduction to his work, but I’m also very fond of Trader and Some Place To Be Flying. Tom Robbins’ latest, Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates is marvelous, or you could get Jitterbug Perfume if you wanted something of his in paperback. Isabelle Allende’s Fortune’s Daughter, set in gold rush California and Chile (Peru?), was also worth owning, as is The House of Spirits by the same author. Oh, and I assume it goes without saying, the entire collection of Terry Pratchett, I mean, those you don’t have yet. You do own Terry Pratchett, don’t you? And finally, I’ll recommend Steven Brust, particularly Brokedown Palace and * The Sun and the Moon and the Stars*. His Vlad Taltos series is grand, but these have a greater depth. I have to mention Roger Zelazny (Lord of Light, Amber series, Donnerjack) and Patricia McKillip (Forgotten Beast of Eld), two of the most talented writers of the past 30 years. I will stop now. Except for the Brothers K by David James Duncan–it’s more than a baseball novel, believe me. And then, okay, enough. For now. I may be back.
Pick up Timothy Zahn’s first Star Wars series - Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command. And Shadows of the Empire (author’s name eludes me at the moment).
In my mind, those are the only Star Wars books worth reading… with the exception of the X-Wing series, but that’s rather long.
Here’s what I do, so that you don’t waste $$$, check out library ones first. Then, if you really like them–buy them.
If you haven’t yet read—
THE GODFATHER (if by any chance you’re Italian–read THE FORTUNATE PILGRIM too, also by PUZO)
THE EXORCIST—the best of the genre that I’ve ever read.
GRAPES OF WRATH—a MUST!
Most anything by TAYLOR CALDWELL. Especially TESTIMOMY OF TWO MEN and A PILLAR OF IRON.
CAIN—Pub. by KNOPF—This is a book that has three of JAMES M. CAIN’S novels–POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE, MILDRED PIERCE and DOUBLE INDEMNITY
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD—word has it that TRUMAN CAPOTE had a BIG hand in the writing.
IN COLD BLOOD
CAPOTE—Bio. by GERALD CLARKE
If you’re female—THE FEMALE EUNUCH
SELECTED WRITINGS OF THOMAS PAINE
THE PEOPLE’S ALMANAC #1, 2 & 3—fun.
In the same vein, same authors–THE BOOK OF LISTS #1,2 & 3
$200 to spend on books?!?!?! I would be in heaven, but I’d do none of that shopping at amazon. Well, if the prices were decent I’d buy them there, but I’d go over to Barnes & Noble, Waldens, B. Dalton, or somewhere I could wander through the books for hours making my decisions. And it would take hours.
Or, I’d find a used book store and get even more books for my money.
A single book that satisfies most of the above criteria is The Difference Engine by William Gibson & Bruce Sterling. An historical, science fiction, techno-thriller that takes place in an alternative world where the computer revolution coincides with the industrial revolution in the mid 1800’s. It’s very meticulously researched and many real life personalities show up in very different roles, e.g., Byron as Prime Minister, Keats as a hacker.
I happen to have the Griffin & Sabine trilogy and IMHO, Sabine’s Notebook and Golden Mean don’t quite live up to the first one. They are all beautifully illustrated, but the story thread doesn’t quite grab me somehow. Hope that doesn’t spoil it for you.
What about…The Passion by Jeanette Winterson? It’s a fantasy novel set against a historical Venice. Well-written and witty.
If I had $200 to spend on books, I might go to Amazon first and search in my favorite genres to get ideas, but then I’d take that $200 over to half.com or allbooks4less or abe or bibliofind and get some value for my money.
That said, my best reading experience over the past couple of years has been George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series. The first three books are A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords. I’ve yet to hear a single negative comment about these books.
Oh, and Joe Lansdale’s Hap and Leonard series, for fun.
Okay, so it’s a “comic book”, but it’s listed under “books” on Amazon (heh)…It’s got beautiful art, and the stories are as good as any book. It has some blood, but it’s about samurai, and samurai kill eachother so you have to have some blood. The plot is very cool, and the characters are all extremely deep. The book is pretty thick too…150 - 250 pages I’m guessing (they aren’t numbered, heh). Plus it doesn’t cost much so what can you lose?
Tsugumo (just pushing good comics in the hopes that people will slowly start to realize they’re not ALL spandex and exagerrated proportions (though so many are, sigh))
“We Wish to Inform you that Tommorrow We Will be Killed with our Families”- what happened in Rawanda. Amazing book.
“King Leopold’s Ghost”- the Congo and how it got that way
“God of the Rodeo”-Angola prison. Beautiful book.
“Stealing Jesus”- how fundamentalism betrays Christianity
“The Battle for God”- how fundamenatalism came about in the fist place
“Postville”- Hasidem in Iowa
“From Dawn to Decadence”- a cultural history of western civilization. Lots of fun, really.
Jim Knipfel’s “Quitting the Narobi Trio” and “Slackjaw”- funny books about going blind and crazy.
“Guns, Germs and Steel”- how the world began
Fiction-
Umm. Why haven’t I
beem reading any recent fiction?
Aside from short stories almost everything I can think of is at least decades old.
Well, Don Delillo, particularly “White Noise” and “Underworld”.
And I’m rereading “Love in the Time of Colera”.
And Neil Gaiman’s “Sandman” graphic novels are better than most novels.
