Members super56k Posted June 13, 2010 Members Share Posted June 13, 2010 The Lost City of Z is the best non-fiction book I've read in a while. It's about the end of the Victorian era of explorers charting the unknown world. Another good non-fiction book I read around the same time is The Canal Builders . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LSDis4me Posted June 13, 2010 Members Share Posted June 13, 2010 Last Exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby Jr. As Henry Rollins so eloquently put it, Selby is a muther{censored}er! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hupia Posted June 13, 2010 Members Share Posted June 13, 2010 I think this would be perfect for you. I thought of this one early on too, but the OP did say he's trying to get into reading for the first time. I loved it, but wouldn't recommend it as a "just jumping in" book. Great recommendation, though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members falseswipe Posted June 13, 2010 Members Share Posted June 13, 2010 Based on your interests I would recommend Catch-22, Slaughterhouse Five, and No Country For Old Men. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jb1911 Posted June 13, 2010 Members Share Posted June 13, 2010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Fatso Forgottso Posted June 13, 2010 Members Share Posted June 13, 2010 I think this would be perfect for you. Is this a good place to start with Pynchon? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hupia Posted June 13, 2010 Members Share Posted June 13, 2010 Is this a good place to start with Pynchon? This is actually the only one I've read by him for now. If you feel ready for it, I'd say it is. You sort of have to push on... It's pretty challenging but very rewarding and entertaining IMO. I've heard from friends that The Crying of Lot 49 is a good place to start. Haven't read it yet, but I'd really like to. Maybe start with that one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members live-I-evil Posted June 13, 2010 Members Share Posted June 13, 2010 Is this a good place to start with Pynchon? No. While all of Pynchon's is extremely well written and top notch stuff, Gravity's Rainbow is long and can be a difficult read if you're not accustomed to stream of consciousness writing like that. I'd start with V or Crying of Lot 49. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Fatso Forgottso Posted June 13, 2010 Members Share Posted June 13, 2010 No. While all of Pynchon's is extremely well written and top notch stuff, Gravity's Rainbow is long and can be a difficult read if you're not accustomed to stream of consciousness writing like that. I'd start with V or Crying of Lot 49.I already read a lot so I'm going to take that as a challenge and buy Gravity's Rainbow this week Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hupia Posted June 13, 2010 Members Share Posted June 13, 2010 I already read a lot so I'm going to take that as a challenge and buy Gravity's Rainbow this week Good luck! It took me forever, but I'm a slow reader and its hard to read stuff for pleasure when you're taking a bunch of lit class in college at the same time. Definitely enjoy it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members live-I-evil Posted June 13, 2010 Members Share Posted June 13, 2010 I already read a lot so I'm going to take that as a challenge and buy Gravity's Rainbow this week Very good! As Dark said, it's a very funny and rewarding read. If you find you like it, I can't recommend David Foster Wallace enough. Infinite Jest is quite truly a masterpiece. If you really want a challenge, take both on this summer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hupia Posted June 13, 2010 Members Share Posted June 13, 2010 Very good! As Dark said, it's a very funny and rewarding read. If you find you like it, I can't recommend David Foster Wallace enough. Infinite Jest is quite truly a masterpiece. If you really want a challenge, take both on this summer! I'm gonna take this advice Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members live-I-evil Posted June 13, 2010 Members Share Posted June 13, 2010 And a quick iphone shot of the first edition Gravity's Rainbow at my work. What a beaut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TheHarakiriEnd Posted June 13, 2010 Members Share Posted June 13, 2010 I thought of this one early on too, but the OP did say he's trying to get into reading for the first time. I loved it, but wouldn't recommend it as a "just jumping in" book. Great recommendation, though! I think Frank is in college so while he said he wasn't an avid reader he's obviously had to read a good bit. I recommended it more for content than anything though. Whenever I was reading his initial post it was the first book that came to mind. Fatso, As others have stated it isn't the easiest read but I've read some of your work and I'm fairly sure you can handle it. It couldn't hurt to read V first though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hupia Posted June 13, 2010 Members Share Posted June 13, 2010 I think Frank is in college so while he said he wasn't an avid reader he's obviously had to read a good bit. I recommended it more for content than anything though. Whenever I was reading his initial post it was the first book that came to mind.Fatso,As others have stated it isn't the easiest read but I've read some of your work and I'm fairly sure you can handle it. It couldn't hurt to read V first though. Ahh excellent! I don't know most people here personally yet, so I was a bit worried. Sounds great, go for it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Fatso Forgottso Posted June 13, 2010 Members Share Posted June 13, 2010 Thanks for the mini Pynchon tutorial all. This thread has added about 10 books to my "must buy" list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Coach Posted June 13, 2010 Members Share Posted June 13, 2010 Very good! As Dark said, it's a very funny and rewarding read. If you find you like it, I can't recommend David Foster Wallace enough. Infinite Jest is quite truly a masterpiece. If you really want a challenge, take both on this summer! Beautiful book. Thanks for the Gravity's Rainbow recommendation too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members live-I-evil Posted June 13, 2010 Members Share Posted June 13, 2010 Beautiful book. Thanks for the Gravity's Rainbow recommendation too!No problem. If anyone here likes the Pynchon/Wallace style but can't quite handle the stream of consciousness I can't recommend Don DeLillo enough. White Noise and American and fantastic starters, and Underworld is an absolute masterpiece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gypsyfireman Posted June 13, 2010 Members Share Posted June 13, 2010 This is sitting on my shelf, waiting to be read. I'd suggest this: And I'm planning to read this next: Edit: Yeah... +1 House of Leaves is so worth your time. What an incredible piece of work. I finished it about a month and a half ago, and it still haunts me to the point of wanting to dive into it again. Survivor was great. Choke and Lullaby were my favorites. Fight club was excellent.And Devil in the White City is probably the best historical non-fiction book I've read. Very entertaining, engaging, and educational. It makes you forget you're reading history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members frankiej Posted June 14, 2010 Author Members Share Posted June 14, 2010 So now the question is which to read first? The Road, Devil in the White City, Catcher In the Rye, and A Farewell to Arms all sound like interesting reads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AnderMocs Posted June 14, 2010 Members Share Posted June 14, 2010 So now the question is which to read first? The Road, Devil in the White City, Catcher In the Rye, and A Farewell to Arms all sound like interesting reads. catcher in the rye if you feel like wanting to murder a famous person Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members frankiej Posted June 14, 2010 Author Members Share Posted June 14, 2010 Slaughter-House Five also sounds good. catcher in the rye if you feel like wanting to murder a famous person Haha, at least I'll have an excuse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cryptosonic Posted June 14, 2010 Members Share Posted June 14, 2010 Great stuff in here but wtf really? Am I the only one that digs John Irving? If you haven't read his stuff it is right up your collective alleys, based on what has been posted. Also big ups for Dostoevsky, I was going to recommend Crime and Punishment but I figured everyone had read it in high school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members live-I-evil Posted June 14, 2010 Members Share Posted June 14, 2010 Great stuff in here but wtf really? Am I the only one that digs John Irving? If you haven't read his stuff it is right up your collective alleys, based on what has been posted.Also big ups for Dostoevsky, I was going to recommend Crime and Punishment but I figured everyone had read it in high school. Notes From The Underground. {censored} yes. Son. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members oates Posted June 14, 2010 Members Share Posted June 14, 2010 Tom Wolfe - electric Kool Aid acidtestto kill a mockingbird Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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