Author Topic: Best book you've ever read? Book recommendations?  (Read 77598 times)

Chris Pascale

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Re: Best book you've ever read? Book recommendations?
« Reply #150 on: November 16, 2021, 09:11:23 PM »
Grabbed some novels by an author named Matthew Dicks. They are really enjoyable, and his storytelling skills remind me of Matthew Quick, who wrote "Silver Linings Playbook"

Edubb20

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Re: Best book you've ever read? Book recommendations?
« Reply #151 on: November 17, 2021, 08:08:05 AM »
non-fiction:
Autobiography of a Super Tramp -W.H. Davies  (Welsh poet who was a train hopping hobo in North America during the late 1800's and early 1900's).
Meditations - Marcus Aurelius
Tao te Ching- Laozi

Ficton:
First Law Trilogy- Joe Abercrombie (grim dark fantasy)
Sprawl Series- William Gibson (sci-fi)
1984- George Orwell


MgoSam

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Re: Best book you've ever read? Book recommendations?
« Reply #152 on: December 07, 2021, 10:48:03 AM »

Among my favies


Fiction

Project Hail Mary
Wheel of Time series
I am Pilgrim


Nonfiction

Destiny of the Republic
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Empire of the Summer Moon

FIRE Artist

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Re: Best book you've ever read? Book recommendations?
« Reply #153 on: January 22, 2022, 08:39:18 PM »
Some of my favourite non fiction reads of the last few years… I read a lot, but these are the ones that I find myself recommending to like minded people.  My fiction list is way too long to list.

Just Kids - Patti Smith, memoir of her youth in NY living in the Chelsey hotel with Robert Mapplethorp

Disarmed, The Story of the Venus De Milo - Gregory Curtis, an interesting read of the early days of public museum curation, colonialism etc. 

The Vanishing Velazquez - Laura Cumming, this one is before public art museums existed, and how dodgy provenance of old master paintings actually is, especially if relying on records that pre date modern curation and provenance practices.  And obsession, life destroying obsession. 

The Judgement of Paris - Ross King, story of the birth of Impressionism

The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century
Book - Kirk W. Johnson.  A mind boggling story of the recent destruction of a priceless historical bird specimen collection, all for the purchase of a golden flute.  Really. Includes a peek into the mind boggling world of Victorian fly tying. 

Can You Ever Forgive Me? - Lee Israel, memoir of her life as a literary forger.  This one was made into a movie. 
« Last Edit: January 22, 2022, 08:44:24 PM by FIRE Artist »

evme

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Re: Best book you've ever read? Book recommendations?
« Reply #154 on: April 17, 2022, 09:12:13 PM »
Fiction:
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

Non-fiction:
The Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver

Chaplin

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Re: Best book you've ever read? Book recommendations?
« Reply #155 on: April 18, 2022, 05:11:48 PM »
Fun revisiting this thread after six years... I threw the Count of Monte Cristo in and am surprised by how many times it's mentioned. Delicious revenge is delicious.

Now that my son is the same age as I was when I read many of my favorite books I've been dumping them on him and he's been devouring them. It's like we're related. I've taken the opportunity to re-read some as well which has been a joy.

One author I haven't seen mentioned is Guy Gavriel Kay. He writes a form of historical fiction where you can recognize the real era and empire that inspired it, but it's usually infused with very subtle supernatural elements that add an aura of the fantastic. The two-volume series "Sailing to Sarantium" and "Lord of Emperors" is a good place to start. It's set in a version of the Mediterranean between the fall of Rome but before the fall of Constantinople.

Kim Stanley Robinson continues to knock it out of the park with "The Ministry for the Future." Add "New York, 2140" if you're really into the climate change theme.

On the non-fiction side, I have to add:
"Saving Us" - Katharine Hayhoe (essentially, how to talk about climate change)

LennStar

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Re: Best book you've ever read? Book recommendations?
« Reply #156 on: May 09, 2022, 01:29:21 AM »
Not the best book I have ever read, but the most important. The one in my signature. The Dictator's Handbook.

clairebonk

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Re: Best book you've ever read? Book recommendations?
« Reply #157 on: May 20, 2022, 09:20:38 PM »
Kim Stanley Robinson continues to knock it out of the park with "The Ministry for the Future." Add "New York, 2140" if you're really into the climate change theme.

KSR is simply the great most imaginative writer ever. Okay, each book takes many months to read because they are so dense. I read a few pages and have to put it down and think. He's not writing page turners, but page thinkers.

Yes, Ministry for the Future was unbelievably good. I'm from the midwest and the chapter about the wild animal migration.... phenomenal. The science, finance, philosophy, economics, landscape.... it vibes with me. I used to go to a lot of his talks in Davis, it was amazing to hear him speak live and answer questions.

MarciaB

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Re: Best book you've ever read? Book recommendations?
« Reply #158 on: September 06, 2022, 12:42:41 PM »
Kim Stanley Robinson continues to knock it out of the park with "The Ministry for the Future." Add "New York, 2140" if you're really into the climate change theme.

KSR is simply the great most imaginative writer ever. Okay, each book takes many months to read because they are so dense. I read a few pages and have to put it down and think. He's not writing page turners, but page thinkers.

Yes, Ministry for the Future was unbelievably good. I'm from the midwest and the chapter about the wild animal migration.... phenomenal. The science, finance, philosophy, economics, landscape.... it vibes with me. I used to go to a lot of his talks in Davis, it was amazing to hear him speak live and answer questions.

I am loving this book too, and agree that it's so dense with interesting ideas it really does take longer to read (read sections, cogitate on them, reread them). We could have a book group discussion about this for sure!