The New "Recommend a buncha books to Culties" Thread

Gordo: Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.

When mirka asked Monkeywright in his 'ask me' thread if there was ever a book that he just loved, and no matter how many times he recommended it, the person who read it never loved it as much as he did, I just wanted to scream! I have that problem.

So,

Mirka: Wicked; the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

also, if you like that, read Son of a Witch, and A Lion Among Men.

I know people say it's boring, but I loved it. The beginning of Wicked can be a bit dry, but once you're in, YOU'RE IN.

 I read the Fountainhead. Give me something fresh and unread.

Levi, I read The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. It was entertaining, but didn't rock my world. I'm sorry.

Give me some anti-hero "Hero-Villian" stuff you silly small dicked Nazi Grandson Jew rapper.

Mirka: Poor Things by Alasdair Gray. I think it's up your alley, though I'm not sure. I found it very funny and sweet, if kind of weird.

well, shit. Buzz effectivly killed.

Thank you, I found a preview here. I'll check it out. Whoa, what if we  like a book in kind?!

I said, SORRY, Levi.

That would be the end of everything. Matter and antimatter collision, that sort of thing.

oh, it's fine.

Phil: Franny and Zooey

Levi: Franny and Zooey

Anyone else: Franny and Zooey

Anybody who hasn't read it: Already Dead: A California Gothic by Denis Johnson

Phil: The Sexual Life of Robinson Crusoe

I did a project on J.D. Salinger. I will try to read that. He's very interesting. I found a copy of Nine Stories last year in an antique book store. It was cool.

Recomend some easy reading for me please.

I have dyslexia, so I can relate to this. Complex sentence structure really takes me out of the story. I appreciate a good story, simply told. I think that's one of the reasons I like The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. Before he wrote that book, he wrote children's books.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1400032717/ref=sib_dp_pop_ex?ie=UTF8&p=S...

That book also appeals to me, because like I said before, I have Asperger's. (It's a spectrum disorder, so the boy in the book has a much more extreme case than I do, though.)

I also really enjoyed Blubber, by Judy Blume. It's just a really, really entertaining story.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0440407079/ref=sib_dp_pop_ex?ie=UTF8&p=S...

I'd like to introduce you to the world of Robert Sheckley. Please read:

http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/classics/classics_archive/sheckley4/shec...

Easy in what way? A quick read, but not easy on the soul, A Prayer For The Dying by Stewart O'Nan. It's less than 200 pages.

If you want short stories, try A.M. Homes: The Safety of Objects

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is a quick, excellent read. (But get it from the library. Card is insane and evil and should not get any more pennies.)

if you like "less than zero" read jay mcinery's "story of my life"
if you like "the beach" read margret atwood's "oryx and crete"

Im gonna get that Margret Aywood one. I read a short story by her a while back and I was well impressed.

I just read that "The Man Who Shot Snapping Turtles" is part of an anthology, "Memoirs of Hecate County", which was banned in the United States until 1959. Sounds like it's right up my alley, thanks, Phil!

Memoirs of Hecate County is a fantastic collection, so if you can find it (the NYRB published it recently in a nice new edition), get it.

Just saw this thread for the first time. Will look up that story.

And Mirka: Good call, on the "anyone else" one.

Oh man. Does this mean you haven't read The Handmaid's Tale?
You have to read that, for serious.

I got vouchers for Xmas and Im off to the city on Saturday so I will pick it up.

It's that book for me. The one that I want everyone to love as much as me, but no one does. Well, maybe you do. And Baer certainly does. His wife gave him a first edition for a wedding present.

i need a recommendation, peeps. any suggestions?

Well I don't know your preferances, but I force The Good Earth, By Pearl S. Buck on everyone, living or dead. I've actually only ever knew of one other person who has read, and she said she was really enjoying it so I must not be totally insane.

If you do pick it up, i'd like to hear what you think of it.

I've read it a few times. :)  I don't think it's the best book ever, but there was a time when it moved me enormously.  The scene when he takes his wife's earings for the concubine is horrible. (It's been a while, but I think it was earrings that the concubine coveted?)  Buck reminds me of Steinbeck.

Yeah, Damien, I don't know, what are a few books that you like?

I love Wicked, actually.

Read the Phineas Poe Trilogy by Will Christopher Baer. He's am awesome anti-hero.

Start with Kiss Me, Judas, then Penny Dreadful and then Hell's Half Acre. That's the proper order of the books, but they don't make it obvious.

@mirka, @zombieforhire

yeah, i read that way back when and i have the book. i'm gonna take a picture of my shelf since it's grown considerably over the past few months.

i liked reading geek love, dermaphoria, raw shark text, king's books, vonnegut, gaiman, pratchett, blindness - saramago, hempel, garland, this could go on and on.

i already have pynchon, stephenson, murakami, coupland and few others lined up. i've yet to read anything from baer and stephen graham jones.

VALIDATION!!!! You should read the other ones! they are really great.

i'll give that a shot. it's being panned on amazon though.

it's alright. nothing world-changing or anything. but it's something different for me to recommend to people instead of always saying moby dick.

for the record, i have not read moby dick. oh, and that guy's other books are getting better rates. i guess this is a gateway book.

it's pretty damn good. I don't care what amazon says about it.

fuck yeah!

speaking of amazon: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2X2TB3S4O5I60?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_cr_rdp_perm

To me, this part is even better than the review. In the comments section:

i didn't know reviewers there were so elitist.

Not that I really know you but your reading list made me think of "The History of Luminous Motion" by Scott Bradfield, ever read that? Homicidal child genius (what's not to like?)

also, got The Sea Wolf, because it was 4 bucks and what with mention it in my recommendation of Moby-Dick to Nightrious and because I've never read anything by London before.
I'll probably read it first since I still got my sea legs about me. Might also read that Secret Sharer by Conrad that came with Heart of Darkness to keep the watery theme going.

I'll report back here with updates on all of them when I finish.