Best lawyers & criminal humor books according to redditors
We found 793 Reddit comments discussing the best lawyers & criminal humor books. We ranked the 286 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 793 Reddit comments discussing the best lawyers & criminal humor books. We ranked the 286 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
I remember being in 2nd grade in 1988, when Rush Limbaugh was taking over radio. That's when I first learned from my 8 year old best friend that liberals were idiots who were ruining the world.
That's why we're condescending now. They've been fanatics for decades. Condescension is nothing compared to the venom and bile they've been spewing as a lifestyle. It's apples to atoms.
Jennifer Government is a short satirical novel that deals with this.
> Taxation has been abolished, the government has been privatized, and employees take the surname of the company they work for. It's a brave new corporate world, but you don't want to be caught without a platinum credit card--as lowly Merchandising Officer Hack Nike is about to find out. Trapped into building street cred for a new line of $2500 sneakers by shooting customers, Hack attracts the barcode-tattooed eye of the legendary Jennifer Government. A stressed-out single mom, corporate watchdog, and government agent who has to rustle up funding before she's allowed to fight crime, Jennifer Government is holding a closing down sale--and everything must go.
> Since the face of Violet’s watch is still glowing, she decides to calculate the temperature using cricket noises, something her father taught her how to do when she was twelve, and at least gives you an answer in metric. By cricket it’s ten degrees centigrade out. By conversion: fifty degrees Fahrenheit. It gets her off the porch. Whatever’s out there is better than thinking about this bullshit.
You can read the rest in the book which is a sequel to Beat the Reaper, but you don't really need to read the first book first (but I think it is the better of the two).
There are apparently at least two versions of Wild Thing, as the image above says "Violet decides that while her watch face is still glowing,", but in the Kindle version, the line after "because you can't directly relate any of those quantities." is the one I quoted above. So, I don't actually know what happens to her watch. It could be in that version aliens step out from behind a bush and kidnap her. Who knows.
Another difference comes before the main quote: "[Being raised, as Violet was, without the] metric system is like being raised with a harness on your brain." In the Kindle version, it says "Being raised, as Violet was, without the metric system is like being raised without Vitamin D. Whatever the fuck rickets are, it gives you the mental version of them."
I wonder if the image is from an early draft or something.
When the NFL first started broadcasting games on TV, circa 1949-1950 in Los Angeles for the Rams, they immediately saw a HUGE decrease in attendance. Back then, attendance and ticket sales were (by a very wide margin) their largest source of revenue. If it hadn't been for a sneaky deal that Dan Reeves had signed with the TV conglomerate that was doing the broadcasting (which saw him compensated for attendance drops greater than about 10%, IIRC), the Rams would have seen insurmountable monetary losses that first TV season.
Nowadays, the revenue model is based on TV contracts, so the rules are a bit outdated.
EDIT: this book has a pretty good couple of sections about the early TV experiments the NFL did. The wikipedia page on the blackout rules also has some info.
I really, REALLY want to know what the books were.
Perhaps gems like [this] (https://www.amazon.com/9-11-Descent-into-Tyranny-Orders/dp/1575581132/ref=la_B001K8I8FU_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1520297172&sr=1-1) or [this] (https://www.amazon.com/How-Talk-Liberal-You-Must/dp/1400054192) ?
I am not even sure I could come up with a book that I can look at and be like "Yup, this person is a crazy man" besides stuff like Alex Jones and his ilk.
A whole book was written on this premise. Jennifer Government by Max Berry, the creator of NationStates, which was kind of a thing in 2004 or so. The book is excellent. You should read it.
Amazon link to said book
Relevant book recommendation: Year Zero by Rob Reid.
Aliens listen in on our radio broadcasts, find (and copy) all our music, and only afterwards find out about the US Copyright laws.
I would recommend:
Patrick Rothfuss's Name of the Wind
Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series, or his newest series The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive).
If you made it all the way through Sword of Truth series, you probably will enjoy Jordan's Wheel of Time.
Scott Lynch's Lies of Locke Lamora is also very enjoyable.
If you are looking for another big one, enjoy the gritty and dark elements from Martin, Stephen Erikson's Malazan series might be up your alley. The first book is a little difficult to get through, but it picks up after that.
Here's the story mentioned at the 45 min mark. (It's a quick read)
http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/harrison.html
Highly recommend it!
It can be found in this EXCELLENT short story collection
https://www.amazon.com/Welcome-Monkey-House-Collection-Short/dp/0385333501
Rant - Chuck Palahniuk
This book had given me the biggest mind fuck ever. It took me two weeks to get halfway through and then another 4 hours to finish it when the story went all crazy. Amazing book!
Year Zero by Rob Reid has humans as the universe's best musicians. And the writers of the universe's most devastating copyright laws.
My personal favourites are;
Links to the aforementioned books;
We - by Yevgeny Zamyatin
>First published in the Soviet 1920s, Zamyatin's dystopic novel left an indelible watermark on 20th-century culture, from Orwell's 1984 to Terry Gilliam's movie Brazil. Randall's exciting new translation strips away the Cold War connotations and makes us conscious of Zamyatin's other influences, from Dostoyevski to German expressionism. D-503 is a loyal "cipher" of the totalitarian One State, literally walled in by glass; he is a mathematician happily building the world's first rocket, but his life is changed by meeting I-330, a woman with "sharp teeth" who keeps emerging out of a sudden vampirish dusk to smile wickedly on the poor narrator and drive him wild with desire. (When she first forces him to drink alcohol, the mind leaps to Marlene Dietrich in The Blue Angel.) In becoming a slave to love, D-503 becomes, briefly, a free man.
Amazon
The following are some of my favorite books that I could think of off the top of my head. Hopefully you dig the list.
I believe this is from a book called Wild Thing: A Novel by Josh Bazell
US Amazon Link
Steven Erikson - Malazan Book of the Fallen
Brandon Sanderson - Mistborn
Brandon Sanderson - The Stormlight Archive
Peter Brett - The Demon Cycle
R. Scott Bakker - The Second Apocalypse
Joe Abercrombie - The First Law
Scott Lynch - The Gentleman Bastard
Patrick Rothfuss - The Kingkiller Chronicle
All excellent. Some slightly more excellent than others.
For general fantasy I've enjoyed Gentleman Bastard, The Kingkiller Chronicle, and The Broken Empire. I listen to Kingkiller Chronicle fairly often due to the amount of commuting I do where I live.
For more urban/fantasy maybe try Lives of Tao, Iron Druid Chronicles, or anything by Neil Gaiman. The anniversary edition of American Gods was really excellent on audio-book. Not sure if the others have audio editions or not.
I've also really enjoyed stuff by Drew Hayes (a webnovelist). His banner series is SuperPowereds. But I though NPCs was a great take on an old fantasy trope. Neither come in audio formats unfortunately.
Good luck.
This reminds me heavily of the novel Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde. That book (which has nothing to do with a certain other novel with a similar name) depicts a society of humans (not crayons) who each have limited color vision, and which colors you can see is passed on from your parents. There is strong taboo there about complementary colors interbreeding, and given the nature of the government, it would be unsurprising if the children of such miscegenation were...disappeared.
You should read Year Zero.
My favorite SF short story writers (in no special order):
EDIT--added Amazon links
EDIT2--Also Gardner Dozois' "The Year's Best Science Fiction" is always ridiculously good. I haven't read this year's collection, but I am sure it's excellent.
So Monday night the dogs woke me up with a nose to the face during a massive thunderstorm. Having no tornado warnings on my phone and a great appreciation for severe weather, I go to watch the proceedings: lightning doesn't stop flashing before the next bolt goes off, etc, etc. And then a tree lands two inches from my face.
Commence mad dash for the basement. Turns out the university unsubscribed me from severe weather alerts in the past week without telling me. My email and all those printing credits are still active though. Go figure.
So anyways, there is still no power, there is a tree on my house, my neighborhood looks like this and this and this and this, and I'm in Sweden. Very glad that husband was not home for that little escapade or he'd be a gibbering wreck. And I'm still not done compiling survey results.
By strange coincidence though, I was reading (and enjoying) The Lies of Locke Lamora on the plane over, and in downtown Stockholm, I found a little handwritten sign on a bookstore saying that Scott Lynch is going to be doing a signing there in two weeks. I think I may be in Estonia that day though.
...Imgur wouldn't let me make an album. Poo.
And in writing news, I have a hard copy of my MS left with a friend to read while I'm gone, but I haven't had a chance to write as my husband will not leave me alone. I know we've been apart since May, but he keeps following me to the bathroom and generally behaving like a starfish. It's old already.
The Lies of Locke Lamora
Solid book
This is the version of Lolita that I have and it made it very simple to read. Dont understand a passage, flip to the back and now you do. It honestly made helped this book become one of my favorites.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Annotated-Lolita-Revised-Updated/dp/0679727299
There's a book about this.
https://www.amazon.com/Shades-Grey-Novel-Jasper-Fforde/dp/0143118587
Sometimes also referred to as "Frowny Girl removing Beardy's head"
I had a lot of fun reading Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, like I did when reading The Martian and Ready Player One. I genuinely didn't know where the story was going to go or how it was going to end with this one.
Also, Andy Weir has a new one coming out on November 14th called Artemis
Wool by Hugh Howey or anything else by Hugh Howey. I've been eyeing Sand for quite awhile.
I think Salvatore gets sort of a bad rap. His Dark Elf Trilogy was one of the first Fantasy novels I had read and really kickstarted my interest in fantasy. The idea of elves as an evil race was totally groundbreaking for me and made me realize there was more to fantasy than the standard LotR model.
Even if Salvatore isn't your style, don't let it rule out other authors in the "Forgotten Realms" universe. Paul S. Kemp would stand up well against other fantasy authors commonly mentioned in the community. His Erevis Cale Trilogy and Twilight War series are among my favorite books.
Having said that, I'd recommend The Lies of Locke Lamora and The Dresden Files. I'd describe these books as fun, fast-paced, light reading that most folks find hard to put down.
Openings are hard as shit to do in sci-fi/fantasy. You have to basically lecture on the world without it sounding like you're lecturing them on the world: excuse me while I grab my smoke and mirrors. I'm not going to do line edits because it's view only. Instead you get my wall of text that I'm compiling on scifi/fantasy openings as I read more and more piles of it, when I should be reading something like literature (Idk, is that what the cool kids are doing?).
It's view only so my line edits will probably be limited, but I'll start with your opening two sentences.
>The café of 'Morl's Best Cuppa' was odd, green and uncomfortable to look at. It's rough exterior stood out against the trimmed vein of grey that was the rest of the city-block, like a bulb of gum beaten flat under step, ruining an otherwise pristine side-walk
Protag is looking at a building. I'm not as experienced in third person style narratives, but I'll do my best. If I was writing this in first person I'd be extremely leery of writing a description of the building for the begging portion. I do think you have an interesting world set out. There are genuinely funny moments, but it's packaged in a way that makes me want to put it down. I'd say this is due to an incomplete opening. You have characters and setting, but you don't have a problem for these characters to overcome (plot).I'm going to copy paste parts of a post that I did on sci-fi/fantasy openings that I made earlier, with significant modifications/additions (but the core idea is the same). If this is frowned upon, I'll stop. Disclaimer, I'm not saying that you should do any of these things that I suggest. This is merely my own opinions on ways to get over the initial hump that sci/fi fantasy stories face. These are some good resources/books that I've found.
In essence a good opening has three things
This is kind of vague and bullshitty so I'll use some examples.
The openings in fantasty/sci-fi books are notoriously terrible. For instance, Red Rising, an otherwise half decent thriller book has the shittiest opening that I've read in a published work. But that didn't stop him from selling books out the wazoo and getting good blurbs ("Ender, Catniss, and now Darrow"), because he knows how to write a page turner later on (I'd still recommend it even though the opening is questionable, if you enjoy cheap dystopian thrills). But damn, did the opening want to make me throw the book against the wall. It's not that he doesn't do the three things that an opening should do, it's that he switches voices within it and had several narration snaps when it's clearly HIM speaking and not the main character. I'd also say that Patrick Rothfuss' opening is extremely shitty (and he says so himself), as he takes 50 pages before anything substantial happens. Thus he went back and added a prologue so the reader would feel some sort of plot in the story. Prologues are effective in scifi/fantasy for quickly introducing a problem, if your world takes awhile to build. For instance -- Harry Potter also did this to an extent, since it had the scene with his parents dying. Some openings, like the one that I'm about to discuss, have a really solid hook and immediately grab the reader. Am I saying that you should write a prologue? No , I haven't really read enough of your story to figure that out. I'm just offering a few nuggets of advice that I've seen authors use to get over the initial hump of creating the world.
I think a solid example of a good opening in a sci-fi story, that I've read recently, is the story Wool (here's a link, use the look inside function). The hook is one of the better ones I've read, something along the lines of "Holston climbed his stairs to his death." Is it a cheap trick? Yes. Do I really care, and does it add tension to an otherwise monotonous climb up the stairs? You betcha! He explains certain elements of the silo as he gets to the different actions, e.g. "I put my hand on the guardrail, worn down one flake at a time by centuries of use." He doesn't just come out and say "HEY THE SILO IS OLD LEMME TELL YOU ABOUT MY CHILDHOOD IN THE SILO AND THEN GET TO THE PLOT DAMMNIT". In your case we see some characters mostly annoyed, bored, or not really doing much. Sure the setting is engaging, but the characters, in my opinion, aren't. The pro of an exposition opening is that you can fit a lot of information into a relatively small amount of space. The con is that it's hard to present in a way that doesn't create a POV snap, a boring tell instead of show description, and it's hard to create a problem if you're trying to be an omnipotent narrator. Dune does it, but it hasn't set a trend because it's hard as shit to do. Pride and Prejudice does it, but Jane Austen is incredibly good at writing in different tones. I'll stick to my nice comfortable first person narrative right now. I'm not a good mechanical writer, or a good writer at all yet, but I'm working on it. I do worldbuilding half decently (though I'm put to shame by the people on /r/worldbuilding)
Another solid opening is "Mistborn;" (here's a link) a fantastic example of a dialogue driven opening. I'd say that if a dialogue opening is done right, its exponentially more interesting than an exposition opening. The problem is making the characters feel natural. I spent quite some time on my opening hammering out the robotic narration style, but I still had to go back and write a prologue because I didn't introduce the main problem of the story properly. I problem that I had is that my characters seem to stick their fingers up their butts and don't do anything. Basically a dialogue opening is harder to do, but it's well worth the effort if you can pull it off. Dialogue is also a good way to squeeze information out of your world. Want to have an explanation about scientist, well slap a scientist in there and have your protag ask some questions about it. Don't have random flashbacks in the very begging. Think about a movie that had someone fixing breakfast, and every time they did something relatively minor there was a flashback. E.g. poured some orange juice. That reminds me of my mentor who trained me in how to write a good sci-fi opening. Going to eat some Coco puffs, like me mum used to. But me mum beat me so I angrily ate the coco puffs.
The best fantasy opening that I've ever read is Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. I'd recommend taking a peek at it here. He casually just strolls in, quickly establishes two characters, a problem, and a setting in half a page. It's brilliant. I can't say I've read the rest of it though, but it's on my list of things to read. The only complaints that I've heard about Lies (aside from the usually fantasy grumbling about tropes), is that the heist narrative is too lowly for such a talented writer. I think that's a pretty good sign that hes doing shit right.
In the words of Brian Sanderson "writing is all smoke and mirrors." In fantasy/sci-fi you have to set up scenes that are more or less infodumping segments that feel natural to the reader. E.g. travelling from town to town, "oh theres a ghost thing over there"
"that's not a ghost its your mum!" laughter ensues
On the bright side, it seems like you've done some good world building, so writing the segments shouldn't be too hard. I highly recommend watching Brandon Sanderson's lectures on the youtube channel "Write about dragons." Start with the first lectures he does, because they cover a lot of mistakes that people make.
Also read this article on common mistakes that editors see (link) . Watching and reading just a little bit will help you from falling into a ton of pitfalls, like I did with my first story. I spent far too long on too little words, that were absolute rubbish. Now I've been able to get at least a consistent word count down every week, with mixed reviews (some chapters are better than others.) Basically, write consistently and read often. Potential and inspiration are bullshit. Hammer out some words, get it torn apart on this sub-reddit, pick up the pieces and repeat. Make sure to give back often, this place is awesome. I think one of my better experiences was posting a basically infodumpy chapter, and had some pretty positive reviews (aside from some pseudoscience that I quickly cut, and leapt back into the warm embrace of space opera).
If you get past the opening hump, this article, is a fantastic way to plan how your plot is going to unfold over the course of a novel, in a concise fashion. I wish I'd found this resource sooner, cause my planning would've been much better. (I tend to discovery write, with minimal planning.)
In all honesty, the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings are pretty tough to get into, since they are practically the ur-examples of fantasy, written back when a lot of commercial fiction methodology was still being developed.
When i read a book, I worry first and foremost if I'm entertained, if I am, I'll give it my recommendation, regardless of the flaws. These are the ones I think you'd find best for jumping in with.
YA/Middle Grade Books
Fantasy
Discworld by Terry Pratchet (I'd recommend not starting at the beginning.)
Sci-Fi
Urban Fantasy
Thrillers/Suspense
I made a list based on where you can purchase them if you want to edit it onto your post:
This Month's Book
January:
by Iain Banks]
(https://www.amazon.com/Consider-Phlebas-Culture-Iain-Banks/dp/031600538X)
by Aldous Huxley]
(https://www.amazon.com/Brave-New-World-Aldous-Huxley/dp/0060850523)
by Ray Bradbury
by Oscar Wilde
by Adrian Tchaikovsky
by Jordan B. Peterson]
(https://www.amazon.com/12-Rules-Life-Antidote-Chaos/dp/B0797Y87JC)
February:
by Richard Matheson
by Frank Herbert
by Haruki Murakami
by Bret Easton Ellis
by Max Tegmark
by Friedrich Nietzsche
March:
by Ernest Hemingway
by Herman Melville
April:
(https://www.amazon.com/Dice-Man-Luke-Rhinehart/dp/0879518642)
https://www.amazon.com/Stoner-York-Review-Books-Classics/dp/1590171993)
(https://www.amazon.com/Crime-Punishment-Fyodor-Dostoyevsky/dp/0486415872)
https://www.amazon.com/No-Longer-Human-Osamu-Dazai/dp/0811204812)
May:
https://www.amazon.com/Spring-Snow-Sea-Fertility-1/dp/0679722416)
(https://www.amazon.com/Runaway-Horses-Sea-Fertility-2/dp/0679722408)
November
Books Pewds suggested but hasn't talked about in any of the episodes yet:
linking pewds to see this u/pewpewpewPEWdie
Gutenberg
[The Trial] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trial) by [Franz Kafka] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Kafka)
>This was a bookclub book in 2011 I believe, but I think we should give it another go. The Trial is focused on the story of a man who is arrested and prosecuted for a crime that's never revealed to him or the reader. While Kafka never finished the novel (never fear it has a concluding chapter that wraps up the story), it has become a classic work of absurdist fiction. There's more info in the linked wikipedia page, but that's the gist of it.
You can buy the newest translation by Breon Mitchell [here] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0805209999/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687682&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=1936041448&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1SBNNT9N3FPFRZMWHD8J) or read it through gutenberg [here] (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/7849) translated by David Wyllie.
The right has been following the leftish media attack on her. I decided to read one of her books, amazing. I have bought 5 of her books now, all have been great.
Do not trust the media on her, Shes brilliant. Her books are great.
I highly recommend. How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must): The World According to Ann Coulter
Didn't read the article, but I'm reminded of Year Zero by Rob Reid.
Summary: Aliens realize they're guilty of copyright infringement due to intergalactic law dictating that they're subject to the DMCA while listening to popular Earth music. They now need to hire a copyright lawyer and find a way to pay damages without bankrupting the universe.
How to Build™ : Down Here Buddy(Fighter- Dual Dex Dynamo)
Objective
A dual weilding halfling using a quick wit and even faster blades.
__
Stout Halfling +2 Dex, +1 Con
Background: Criminal
Equipment based off Suggested Quick Build
Stats based off Legal Adventure League Array 15,14,13,12,10,8
Stat | | Stat |
---|---|----|----
Str | 10 | Int | 13
Dex| 14+2 | Wis | 12
Con | 15+1 | Cha | 8
AC 14 (7 more AC possible with higher quality gear)
HP 13 (9 hp/level afterwards)
Level | Class | Gain|Note
---|---|-----|----
1| Fighter | Fighting Style: Two-Weapon Fighting, Second Wind | With every slash you are able to get the needed leverage to drive home the blade.
2| Fighter | Action Surge | Sometimes you just need to do some extra convincing to drive home your point.
3| Fighter | Champion: Critical Strike 19-20 | Every strike digs closer to the threats.
4| Fighter | Feat: Dual Wielder | Your blades move so fast that you can even use them to deflect incoming blows, as well as you have built up strength to wield larger weapon with equal speed (Rapier- 1d8).
5| Fighter | Extra Attack I | Bring the pain.
6| Fighter | +2 Dex | Your blows hit harder and your feet move faster.
7| Fighter | Champion: Remarkable Athelete | Add half your proficiency bonus (round up) to any Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution check you make that doesn't already use your proficiency bonus.
8| Fighter | Feat: Resilient Dexterity | Float like a butterfly, sting like bee.
9| Fighter | Indomitable I| You are able to shrug off attacks and difficulties that those with a smaller heart would crumple to.
10| Fighter | Champion: Fighting Style Defensive | You are able to leverage your armor so that it deflects blows in unexpected ways.
This gets you pretty far progression wise, more beyond this and it can just get too complex as far as flexibility of a guide goes.
Post level 10 I would suggest Feat: Durable, +1 Dex, +1 Con, +2 Con, and even Magic Initiate: Cleric to pick up the spell Shield of Faith or Bless and then Spare the Dying, and Thuamaturgy. These spells augment your team helping their attacks and saves, lets you instantly stop a bleed out, have great RP moments, and are not reliant on having a high wisdom. Also it could work well as your level 19 Feat as you're being blessed by the God of Theives with greater power.
read this book Jennifer Government over a decade ago that fictionally covers this scenario. very good read and would recommend.
Jennifer Government by Max Barry
Upvote for Rant.
^Also, ^it's ^Palahniuk. ^Sorry.
Is this it?
Red Seas under red skies (gentlemen bastards book 2) loosely fits, but it's more of a fantasy heist novel.
https://www.amazon.com/Seas-Under-Skies-Gentleman-Bastards/dp/0553588958
When I read Jennifer Government in the part about where you have to give your payment information before an ambulance is dispatched, I thought, "Wow, that would never happen here." Seems to be getting there.
Horrorstör takes place in an IKEA knockoff, but doesn’t include the lost boyfriend idea.
Year Zero: A Novel https://www.amazon.com/dp/0345534514/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_wM9ADbY4HECJR
It's very entertaining, it's about aliens downloading all our music and distributing it thoughout the universe only to learn that or copyright laws don't allow that so they now have to destroy earth to cancel it the debt they owe the music industry. Some want to find a solution, so they solicit the help of an Earth lawyer to help them save the world. This has a lot of clever humor on it, and I would categorize it with Hitchhikers Guide.
Football almost died in the beginning of the 1900's when 11 college kids died in one season. However, Roosevelt (I believe it was him, I'm Canadian so forgive me) really loved football and didn't want the nation to be "soft" and thought that football was great for toughness. He legislated tons of shit and basically started the changes necessary to make football safer. In came the helmet.
Source: America's Game, the book.
http://www.amazon.ca/Americas-Game-Michael-MacCambridge/dp/0375725067
Breakfast of Champions
Thanks! I'll check these out... and maybe I'll reread the Dark Tower series, so friggin' great.
<>
Edit:
Amazon links:
The Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley
Abundance Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler
Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker
Stephen King's Dark Tower Series
Patrick Rothfuss's Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicles)
Scott Lynch's Gentlemen Bastards series
(yeah, these are smile.amazon.com links... if you aren't already supporting some organization with your Amazon purchases, how about my kid's school's PTA?)
I really recommend the annotated version
Non-mobile link.
"So let me get this right: you have the ability to create whatever you want - gold, jewels, platinum - at any moment, for effectively free -" Jeb paused, then decided to repeat this last bit to emphasize it even more - "effectively free - purely out of the energy from your 'dsyon balls' or whatever they are - and your price of admission is a former American President playing saxophone at the ceremony?"
The reply came back smooth and unconcerned, with the slightest hint of amusement at Jeb's incredulity - the perfect tone to really piss Jeb off. "Yes."
Jeb gripped the handle of his "#1 President" coffee mug until his knuckles went white and the blood pressure alarm started vibrating on his smart watch. "Now listen here, you alien or machine or whatever you are, the American people - and what's more, the people of Earth - are not fools. We know there's no such thing as a free lunch, we've lived and grown up knowing that, it's in our blood, in the blood of our forefathers and our fathers' forefathers, and what's more, we don't tolerate freeloaders. I'm not going to have you sit me through a 5 hour meeting to convince me you're some good Samaritan species so you can make a fool out of me and my country, or worse, enslave us with some fancy clause you forget to mention until the last moment, just to be a world of, of - galactic welfare queens." He slammed his mug on his desk as he spat the last words at his computer screen, splashing cold coffee onto his shirt cuffs.
"And don't think I believe for one minute your baloney about all the Koreans playing WoW being your 'researchers' gathering information on our culture and music because no actual Koreans would play WoW when they have better things in their country - frankly, I find it offensive you'd suggest we'd be foolish enough to believe it and -"
"Jeb, I assure you our intentions -"
"DON'T YOU DARE INTERRUPT ME," boomed Jeb, losing the last bit of patience he had struggled to hold during this ridiculous meeting with this smug, silver, sentient being before him. "I AM THE PRESIDENT OF THE GODDAMN UNITED STATES. AND, AND, and I am NOT, I repeat NOT, going to let you just absorb my country and my planet into your, your, collective or whatever you call it!"
The machine was making a frowny face - pissing Jeb off only more that they would condescend to him so much as to pretend human emotion.
Jeb felt a cool chill run down his back, and decided this discussion was over. "If America and the Earth enters space," he said, voice deadly calm in a manner he had practiced in the oval office mirror for dealing with the Russians, "it will be on America's terms, not yours." The machine mimed slight surprise back at him. "Until then, you'd better leave us the hell alone."
The president cut the connection, and slammed a button on his desk. "Susan, do we still have that supermajority in the Congress?"
"Yes sir, Mister President," came the reply.
"Tell them they're taking the budget out of medicare and slamming it into the defense budget, and pulling out that old Star Wars bill from Reagan and passing it immediately."
"Yes sir, Mister President."
--------------------------
P.S. - If you like this prompt, consider reading Year Zero: a Novel. It's absolutely hilarious, the idea being that humans are about to enter the galactic stage, but so many aliens have pirated human music that the amount of money owed humanity by aliens exceeds the amount of money in the universe. So, the aliens contact a human lawyer, and the following adventure feels very Douglas Adams.
Books
It's usually the first one suggested:
-"The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss (Kingkiller Chronicles)
Whilst different in terms of scope and story, the world building is on par with ASOIAF. I was a little skeptic, being in the same position as you are in, when I picked it up, but now I'm anxiously awaiting both Winds of Winter and the third book in the Kingkiller Chronicles.
I've also started Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (Gentleman Bastards series). So far I'm enjoying it A LOT. I do love having an anti-hero protagonist, and the world so far is pretty engrossing. But I can't officially recommend as I'm not even half way through.
For the social manipulator request, there are a few I can recommend.
(The Lies of Locke Lamora) [https://www.amazon.com/Lies-Locke-Lamora-Gentleman-Bastards/dp/055358894X] is the first novel in a series about con men in a fantasy world. The main characters frequently manipulate people and use their wits to survive, but despite their advantages rarely have total victories. Highly recommended.
(Weaver Nine)[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/weaver-nine-worm-fanfic-au-thread-2.304177/] has some social scenes from Jack Slash's Point of view as he navigates conversations with capes. The meat of the story is on an Endbringer battle, but still lots of social manipulation.
There's also (Weighed Down)[https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13083387/1/], a short, incomplete Worm fic using Theo (the son of the charismatic villain Kaiser) as he establishes himself as the leader of a team.
Edit: Did the links using mobile and messed up, but the infos there so not going to worry about it.
Fellow fan of series here! Let me see...
Young Adult
Percy Jackson series is fun (and finished, too, I think).
Artemis Fowl series isn't quite as good as Percy Jackson IMHO, but it's got a following.
Fantasy
Harry Dresden series This is one of my favorites. Harry is Chicago's only professional wizard. There are a ton of these books and they are still going strong.
Game of Thrones These are great...but unfinished. If you watch the show, reading the books does help you get even more out of the story, I think.
Wheel of Time Another good series. There is a LOT of this series and it's finished. (Thank you, Brandon Sanderson!)
Mistborn Speaking of Brandon Sanderson... This one is very good. I highly recommend reading the Mistborn books before trying the Stormlight Archive, but only because as good as Mistborn is, Stormlight Archive is even better.
Stormlight Archive Amazing. Man, these are good. The series isn't finished, but the two books that are available are some of my favorites ever.
Kingkiller Chronicles I loved the first book. I could not freakin' believe I enjoyed the second one even more. The third one is still pending.
Temeraire Dragons in Napoleonic times. Super cool premise! This one is not finished (I don't think, anyway).
Gentlemen Bastards Con men in a fantasy realm. It's pretty light on the fantasy elements. Very light, I'd say. I'd also say that it has some of the very best swearing that I've ever come across. :D
Scifi
Old Man's War I'm almost finished this one--it's amazing!
Horror/Thriller
Passage Trilogy I've heard these described as vampire books...maybe zombie books... It's apocalyptic for sure. Great books!
Mysteries
Amelia Peabody Egyptology + murder mysteries. Super fun, but trust me...go with the audiobooks for these. They are best when they are performed.
Stephanie Plum Total popcorn reads. If that's your thing, shut off your brain and just enjoy.
Walt Longmire These get particularly good as it goes along. The main character is a sheriff in modern day Wyoming. (Side note: The TV show is also great--just don't expect them to stick to the books.)
Graphic Novels (Everything recommended can be gotten in a "book" format instead of only in comic form, in case that matters. I've gotten most of these from my local library.)
Locke & Key Eerie as crap. Love the art! This one is on-going.
Y: The Last Man All the men on the planet drop dead in a day...except for Yorrick. REALLY good. This is the series that got me reading graphic novels. Plus, it's finished!
Walking Dead I am not a zombie fan...but I like these. They're not done, but I've read up through volume 22 and am still enjoying them.
Other
OutlanderI have no idea how to categorize these or even give a description that does them justice. I refused to pick it up for AGES because it sounded like a bodice-ripper romance and that's not my bag. But these are good!
I hope there's something in there that'll do for you. Have fun and read on!
Edit: Apparently, I need to practice formatting. :/
Edit 2: I forgot to add the Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentlemen Bastards #1).
You can.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1455512869/ref=redir_mdp_mobile
I love dystpians. When you finish that one up, try Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde
Have you read Jasper Fforde? If you like Douglas Adams, you'll love him. He's got a few series, including the Thursday Next series that starts with The Eyre Affair. Or if you want something slightly less lighthearted, there's Shades of Grey.
For some reason, I'm a total Jasper Fforde evangelical lately, but he's fantastic.
Wrong book. I'm talking about Shades of Grey: A Novel https://www.amazon.com/dp/0143118587/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_1ABHDbYBTY993
Not Fifty Shades of Grey.
[Ishihara?] (http://www.amazon.com/Shades-Grey-Novel-Jasper-Fforde/dp/0143118587)
I had a facebook friend pick up Shades of Grey instead of 50 Shades of Grey.
Needless to say she was very confused by all the hype. It's a last resort thing, but if you can't find anything else try offering to buy it for her and just leaving off the "50."
A few somewhat different fantasies, with some scifi -
Roger Zelazny's Nine Princes in Amber
Jasper Fforde's [Shades of Grey] (http://www.amazon.com/Shades-Grey-Novel-Jasper-Fforde/dp/0143118587/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1449631553&amp;sr=1-3&amp;keywords=fforde)
Margaret Atwood's [Oryx and Crake] (http://www.amazon.com/Oryx-Crake-Margaret-Atwood/dp/0385721676/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1449631735&amp;sr=1-5&amp;keywords=Margaret+atwood)
John Crowley's [Little, Big] (http://www.amazon.com/Little-Big-John-Crowley/dp/0061120057/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1449632089&amp;sr=1-3&amp;keywords=little%2C+big)
I like it. The goal of the "Ouroboros predestination paradox" was to ensure that the human race couldn't die out if he was constantly doing this loop in time. The "new-lister" is prime Lister's "Son", so is very likely to make the same choices.
FYI, read Rant
edit: I broke reddit's url formatting. the link is here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouroboros_(Red_Dwarf)
Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey by Chuck Palahniuk
The book Wild thing by Josh Bazell. I haven't read it myself.
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/8417995-in-metric-one-milliliter-of-water-occupies-one-cubic-centimeter
https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Thing-Novel-Josh-Bazell/dp/0316032204/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1549387175&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=wild+thing+josh+bazell
Year Zero.
There is a fantastic book about this very subject - https://www.amazon.com/Year-Zero-Novel-Rob-Reid/dp/0345534514
You laugh, but theres actually a novel about that.
http://www.amazon.com/Year-Zero-Novel-Rob-Reid/dp/0345534514
[America's Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation ] (https://www.amazon.com/Americas-Game-Football-Captured-Nation/dp/0375725067) by Michael MacCambridge is a really good starting point. It basically covers everything from the first draft to the early 2000.
That's Welcome to the Monkey House, from Vonnegut's short story collection of the same name.
You might be interested in short stories. These are all fiction but really fun reads. Check out the Best Short Stories books, like this one, the 2014 edition. I also really liked Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut, also a book of short stories.
For nonfiction, there's this series, I find easy enough to read and each essay is fairly short. There's one for each year and they're great.
One of the truly marvelous things about Vonnegut's books is that they're all like that.
Just an FYI, Breakfast of Champions is my favorite.
And, if you haven't, you must must must read Slaughterhouse Five. I read once that it arose from his viewing of the devastation caused by the bombing of Dresden. I can't say it's the greatest book written in English in the 20th century, but it's not far from it.
The thing about Vonnegut's writing is that it took incredible skill to make his writing seem so simple. It was Pascal who said that if he'd had more time, his letter would've been shorter. But Vonnegut fully understood that concept. The simplicity of his prose, to people who aren't paying attention, might mask the complexity of the ideas behind it.
See, Vonnegut wasn't writing to be artsy or to speak to some glorified idea of an audience. He was talking to us, generally almost always about who we are and what we're doing to ourselves and the planet.
I realize I'm gushing, and I don't praise many people like this, but he was truly a great great writer. And there are reasons why some books are called great.
If you didn't like that, try Breakfast of Champions.
It has nothing to do with that movie of the same name from the 90's.
edit: decade change
I don't tend to do a ton of side project/personal work. I'd prefer to do other things with my off time most of the time. If I'm on something brand new I read or noodle with the tool/technique.
In your not-coding off time, try reading this book. It may explain your lack of motivation, and will entertain you either way.
Here it is on Amazon
I just finished reading the Gentleman Bastards series, by Scott Lynch:
After reading The Stormlight Archive, and Mistborn, a friend recommended me the Gentleman Bastards saga and I loved it. I'd say I liked it more than mistborn, and equally than The Stormlight Archive. Scott Lynch is also a great author.
I enjoyed reading the Gentleman Bastards saga. The characters are complex, the fantasy lore is rich, not Brandon Sanderson-rich, but rich. The history is great. But I must say that I think Scott Lynch is very descriptive, I found difficult to get through because so much detail was offered.
PS. Maybe we all could share our goodreads.com profiles. Seeing that we have similar tastes, we could see what others are reading.
I'll post links so you can get an idea of what they're about. Apologies, I'm a bit tired, otherwise I would give you a rough synopsis myself
If you're looking for some good fantasy books I'd highly recommend the following:
1.) The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - http://www.amazon.com/Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicle/dp/0756404746
2.) Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence - http://www.amazon.com/Prince-Thorns-Broken-Empire-Lawrence/dp/1937007685
3.) Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson - http://www.amazon.com/Gardens-Moon-Malazan-Book-Fallen/dp/0765348780/ref=pd_sim_14_12?ie=UTF8&amp;dpID=51pDraZRUIL&amp;dpSrc=sims&amp;preST=_AC_UL160_SR99%2C160_&amp;refRID=1H0ZZ7MYMYZGKGQMEKTW
This next one has some fantasy elements, however, it's hard to pigeonhole into an exact genre (low fantasy adventure?), nonetheless, it's one of the better books that I've read recently.
4.) The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastards) by Scott Lynch
http://www.amazon.com/Lies-Locke-Lamora-Gentleman-Bastards/dp/055358894X/ref=pd_sim_14_5?ie=UTF8&amp;dpID=51tpIK8K%2BtL&amp;dpSrc=sims&amp;preST=_AC_UL160_SR98%2C160_&amp;refRID=1H0ZZ7MYMYZGKGQMEKTW
5.) The Way of Shadows: The Night Angel Trilogy: Book 1 by Brent Weeks -
http://www.amazon.com/Way-Shadows-Night-Angel-Trilogy/dp/0316033677/ref=pd_sim_14_4?ie=UTF8&amp;dpID=51tPZPp5dsL&amp;dpSrc=sims&amp;preST=_AC_UL160_SR93%2C160_&amp;refRID=1WERAT21ARWMVZN12V2P
(All books mentioned are the 1st novel of a larger series. If you're already aware and/or read these already than disregard, trying to pass along some great books for anyone who might come across my post)
Some of my favs:
The King Killer Chronicles
Gentlemen Bastard Series
The Dark Tower
Riyria Revelations
The Ender Quartet
Ummmm I know I'm leaving some out, but those are some of my favorite series off the top of my head.
Edit: Stupid formatting on mobile.
Call Me By Your Name for queer book club and Lies of Locke Lamora.
Also, if you like GRRM's style of fantasy, Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastard series would probably be a good bet to try. The first two books are already out (Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies)and the third is due out this October, with another 4 books still planned after that.
In the mean time, I'd very highly recommended The Annotated Lolita edited by Appel. The man got some of his notes okayed by the author, himself! And his notes, dense and tiny-fonted though they are, make for great reading, chock-full of useful tangential notes as well as dazzling insights.
How about trying annotated version of the books you want to read, if they're available?
http://www.amazon.com/kindle-store/dp/B00C7CFFZO
I know this isn't what you're asking for exactly, but they were hugely helpful when I found myself out of my depth with some books I wanted to read.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Annotated-Lolita-Revised-Updated/dp/0679727299
I actually have this particular annotated Lolita edition. It's quite good.
Exactly, it was a sort of disturbing realization! And check out the Annotated Lolita - I read it after having read Lolita a few times, and it is amazing how much is jammed in there.
Pretty much anything by Chuck Palahniuk.
edit: Also, American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis, Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs, A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. And The Road by Cormac McCarthy, but only for one scene around the middle... anyone who's read it knows what I mean. Other than that, I found it to be a very emotion-provoking novel, but not "disturbing" in the sense that I think you mean.
American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis
The Trial by Franz Kafka
if you like this book, i HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend reading We, by Yevgeny Zamyatin. It predates Nineteen Eighty-Four (written in 1921) and is said to have influenced it, along with Brave New World and many others.
From Russia, I would add Yevgeny Zamyatin's We, it arguably was the first of the modern dystopia novels and clearly inspired 1984. Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind and Harper Lee's Too Kill a Mockingbird are widely regarded as the essential southern literature. From France, I would read Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. It's really a book like non-other and you really haven't read the best until you're attempted it (make sure you find a good translation!).
Jennifer Government would probably work for you.
Pretty close: https://www.amazon.com/Jennifer-Government-Max-Barry/dp/1400030927/
I agree with the phone case. I think most Psych fans want that. I've seen different colors, but (personal opinion) make sure it's GREEN and looks just like Shawn's.
If she doesn't have this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Psychs-Guide-Fighting-Totally-Unqualified/dp/1455512869/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1509955431&amp;sr=8-4&amp;keywords=psych+tv+show+merchandise
it falls right into your price range. I don't have it, but I've seen it recommended.
I also did a quick search on Etsy and found a lot of cute T-shirts, socks, jewelry, and drinkware-type stuff in your price range. You'd know her better than I do, so take a look and see if anything jumps out at you.
And this is so pathetic, but my God, someone made "countdown stickers" for the movie. Does she have a calendar she could use these on?
https://www.etsy.com/listing/553626180/psych-the-movie-countdown-stickers-fun?ga_order=most_relevant&amp;ga_search_type=all&amp;ga_view_type=gallery&amp;ga_search_query=psych&amp;ref=sr_gallery_39
Okay, I have no money to waste on stuff I don't need. I have to get out of my Psych search on Etsy now....
http://www.amazon.com/Psychs-Guide-Fighting-Totally-Unqualified/dp/1455512869
Cheaper on Amazon. Qualifies for prime.
Probably this
Grady Hendrix has some great spooky books. He's one of my favorites. I HIGHLY recommend getting them in physical copies. Horrorstor is laid out like an Ikea catalog, My Best Friend's Exorcism's hardcover is like a yearbook from the 80's, and We Sold Our Souls has black edging on all the pages. Out of those three, WSOS is my favorite.
https://www.amazon.com/Horrorstor-Novel-Grady-Hendrix/dp/1594745269
edit: Not an advertisement for the book; just showing there is an entire book about a haunted ikea.
https://smile.amazon.com/Horrorstor-Novel-Grady-Hendrix/dp/1594745269?sa-no-redirect=1
Not a traditional graphic novel but Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix is superb and would scratcht he right itch.
It's been done actually. Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix - a horror novel in the format of an IKEA catalogue.
If you're in the mood of pranking/educate her, pick the better version: Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde.
Is he from Chromatacia?
I'm pretty awesomely adept at Greek mythology and literature.
Some of my favorite literature:
[Waiting for Godot] (http://www.amazon.com/Waiting-Godot-Eng-rev-Tragicomedy/dp/080214442X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1368735525&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=waiting+for+godot) by Samuel Beckett
[The Stranger] (http://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Albert-Camus/dp/0679720200/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1368735498&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=the+stranger+by+albert+camus) by Albert Camus
[Shades of Grey] (http://www.amazon.com/Shades-Grey-Novel-Jasper-Fforde/dp/0143118587) by Jasper Fforde
[The Diamond as Big as the Ritz] (http://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Big-Ritz-Scott-Fitzgerald/dp/1603551050/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1368735594&amp;sr=1-2&amp;keywords=diamond+as+big+as+the+ritz) by F. Scott Fitzgerald
My favorite Rant is by Chuck Palahniuk.
What would you consider airport novels or shitty magazines?
I'm think People or Entertainment Weekly for the magazines, but the last books I bought at an airport were Chuck Palahnuik's Rant and one of Jeff Shaara's World War Two historical fiction pieces.
Amazon recommended a book to me when I bought RPO off their site. It's called "Year Zero", and while it's not QUITE as engaging as Cline's writing it's a pretty fun premise.
Year Zero: A Novel, by Rob Reid. I particularly recommend listening to the unabridged audio book read by John Hodgman. He's an excellent reader, with great comic timing.
The Humans by: Matt Haig. An interesting story told from the point of view of an alien living among us.
I am now out of new content and re-listening to Year Zero by: Rob Reid. This is a "hitchhikers guide" like book about aliens who LOVE our music! It talks about funny subjects like the 1970s, insane copyright laws, the evils of Microsoft, and Lawyers. It is entertaining enough to keep me happy on the commute to work.
> They'd probably have access to all sorts of Radio, TV and even internet/telemetry information being leaked into the cosmos by humans.
Yes they have and it is a big copyright problem! Nice little read i can only recommend :)
"The entire cosmos has been hopelessly hooked on American pop songs ever since “Year Zero” (1977 to us), resulting in the biggest copyright violation since the Big Bang and bankrupting the whole universe."
Don't even get me started. We once cause the whole universe to almost go bankrupt, evidently nearly ending it until Nick Carter went ahead and saved the day. -Year Zero
You should check out the goofy book Year Zero.
You should read the book Year Zero :)
There was a book called year zero that is all about taking this concept to a completely ridiculously absurd conclusion.
If you're interested in the history of the NFL (and just professional football in general,) I highly recommend America's Game by Michael MacCambridge. While being pretty comprehensive, it is never dry. It's very cool learning about how football went from a sport that no one cared about outside of college to the behemoth that it is today.
There's actually a fantastic book that covers this exact question, along with charting the rise of the NFL from its roots to present day.
America's Game: The epic story of how Pro Football captured a nation.
I highly suggest anyone who hasn't read it before check it out. Not only is it well written, it's full of fantastic behind-the-scenes information on the sport. I read it first as a casual NFL follower and it gave me an unbelievable amount of history and understanding of the game. I re-read it this summer now as a die-hard and knowledgeable fan, and it's just as good.
But again, to the OP's question, this book traces the history of the NFL from a drowning, practically broke league 70+ years ago to our nation's favorite sport.
Oh, oh! There are two collections of Kurt Vonnegut's short stories. They are almost uniformly excellent.
http://www.amazon.ca/Welcome-Monkey-House-Kurt-Vonnegut/dp/0385333501
http://www.amazon.ca/While-Mortals-Sleep-Unpublished-Fiction/dp/0385343744/ref=pd_sim_b_14?ie=UTF8&amp;refRID=1GKQ35QW9TWSSE6YEC19
My favorite author, and this is his most fun book even if he has a couple better received books
Bukowski is an amazing author regardless of what succs say.
Great book. Brought the term grok into existence
Really cool graphic novel series
David sedaris is probably the best comedic novelist i've ever read/heard. I recommend audio though because he has great delivery, which is what made him such a popular guest on NPR
selfish gene by dawkins. I know Dawkins is a meme, but this book is actually really good along with a lot of his earlier books.
Ah man, I wanna go to Burning Man soooo badly...
Hm. Looks like you like books, and I always think that books make the best gifts, so...What about [this] (http://www.amazon.com/Vonnegut-volumes-Rosewater-Welcome-Slaughterhouse/dp/B000BVFV48/ref=sr_1_18?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1373428804&amp;sr=1-18&amp;keywords=kurt+vonnegut+collection) It has some of my favorite Vonnegut, although no Breakfast of Champions. Not sure if it's actually cheaper to get the boxed set, but it's an easy way to show all of them at once ;)
Or how about some lighter fare. Terry Pratchett is funny and easy to get into from any book in the series.
Or, I know that people sit around and sing songs sometimes...and that's my favorite part of any get-together! As lots of people know the Beatles, what about this great songbook? It's one of my favorites, and it's got all the chords and lyrics to tons of songs, many that people forget about but still like! (You'll need a good camp guitar to go with it...)(now I'm just thinking of things I brought on my recent camping trip...I just got back so it's fresh in my mind...)
Fiction: Breakfast of Champions - Kurt Vonnegut
Non-Fiction: The Hypochondriac's Pocket Guide to Horrible Diseases You Probably Already Have
Lullaby
I was going to suggest the Broken Empire series by Mark Lawrence, but it looks like 2 people already beat me to that. I'll just add that I loved that series. The hero is like Machiavelli's wet dream.
Mark Lawrence's new series -- The Red Queen's War -- also features a hero that's not very heroic.
Fight Club, by Chuck Pahlaniuk also fits. But really, most of Pahlaniuk's work features protagonists so amoral that they're practically nihilistic: Choke, Survivor, Rant: the Oral Biography of Buster Casey, and the (in my opinion) under-rated Lullaby.
I'm also tempted to suggest Home Land, by Sam Lipsyte. But its hero is probably more cynical than amoral. It's about a guy whose high school nickname was Teabag (for probably obvious reasons). His high school reunion is coming up, and he's sending letters to the alumni newsletter. According to his updates -- which for some reason aren't getting published in the newsletter along with everyone's anniversary and birth announcements and stuff -- he's not doing well. The book is hilarious. But it also ends with some form of redemption, so it might not be what you're looking for.
Edit -- I should have also suggested I, Lucifer, by Glen Duncan. I mean, the protagonist is the Devil. He's not really completely amoral, but I think it fits, since he's telling his side of the story.
I can vouch for Roger. He's a good guy, and he wrote the very entertaining Zombie Combat Manual. We've had some entertaining writer to writer talks, and he is definitely passionate about the sport.
Check out his book here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Zombie-Combat-Manual-Fighting/dp/0425232549
Edit: OP is not the Roger Ma that I thought he was. Disregard.
The Zombie Combat Manual
I've not read it, but it is on my wishlist, I figure it's probably along the lines of The Zombie Survival Guide linked earlier.
The Zombie Combat Manual: A Guide to Fighting the Living Dead on my Zombie Apocalypse Wishlist.
Happy Birthday /u/SilentMase.
The Zombie Combat Manual
Dead of Night
The First Days
LOVE zombies. :D
Get him Andy Weir's new book, Artemis!
Anyone else gonna read Artemis ? If you have and have anything to say about it, I’d love to hear.
FYI the book Artemis will only be released on 14^th November 2017.
That's really something, to have the movie lined up even before the general public gets to read the book.
I feel like a traitor to George R. R. Martin, but maybe because I have to wait so long between books. But,
The Gentlemen Bastards series, starting with The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. Starts slow, but stay with it. Well worth it.
I have not read this series (Yet. It is sitting on my Kindle to read next) but I have heard very good things about 'The Lies of Locke Lamora' by Scott Lynch (I actually think it is more thieves but not 100%)
Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder is a pretty nice read but again she is magic-y.
Little OT for /r/Fantasy but does anyone know of any 'Modern Assassins' books. There seems to be a slew of Fantasy stories of children being brought up as Assassins but I have not really had any luck finding any set modern day.
Tough to pick a favorite, but The Lies of Locke Lamora is a pretty good example.
I have bottles of:
Hmmm... Maybe I need to have some friends over soon :-)
A Song of Ice and Fire is a great series, One of my personal favorite and I would say you probably can't go wrong with it.
However, the series I would recommend (if you haven't already read it) is the Gentleman Bastard series by Scott Lynch. I just finished the first book and I'll say it is possibly my favorite fantasy book.
Reminds me a bit of the book "the lies of Locke Lamora". Probably the best book ive ever read...
https://www.amazon.com/Lies-Locke-Lamora-Gentleman-Bastards/dp/055358894X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1550015147&amp;sr=8-1&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&amp;keywords=the+lies+of+locke+lamora
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch is a fantastic book, and if you enjoy it there are two other books currently out, and (four?) more to come!
It's really hard for me to only recommend one book right now, normally when I recommend books I give people huge lists that scare them. :P Bookworms rule!
I have a Books/Movies wishlist, and I'm 100% fine with a used copy.
I can't pick one, so here are a smattering:
E.L. Doctorow has yet to write a disappointing book. He writes fiction stories that are heart-wrenching. The one that gets the best response from people I recommend it to is Homer & Langley.
There's a series by Jonathan L. Howard about this necromancer named Johannes Cabal. It's quite good.
Italian Calvino wrote a book called Cosmicomics that I recommend to everyone, even though technically it's sci-fi.
Scott Lynch wrote a series called The Gentleman Bastards, which is part heist (swashbuckling in the second book), part buddy story, part magic/fantasy. Quite good.
Take a look, it's in a book!
I would recommend The Lies of Locke Lamora.
I will second The Lies of Locke Lamora (part of the Gentleman Bastard series) as an excellent choice.
If you like Percy Jackson because it is fantasy mixed with the real world (i.e. urban fantasy genre) you might like The Dresden Files or the Iron Druid Chronicles
You might also look at branching into historical fiction, maybe? There are a lot of books using real historical military campaigns as backgrounds that are very entertaining - if that is of any interest to you, start with The Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield.
I am just reading the 'Locke Lamora' series: a gentleman thief in a world with quite mighty magicians but very well balanced.
For those who like a fantastic story I can also recommend Jasper Fforde. In his world the characters of all books have a personal life when nobody reads it at the time (and sometimes even then). Characters in a book that don't have a name are only blurred, also in their personal life ;-)
And of course Niffenegger, "The time traveller's wife'" is excellent.
I would suggest The Lies of Locke Lamora Meets all of your criteria.
You should give the Gentleman Bastard series by Scott Lynch a try.
First one.
You might really enjoy The Lies of Locke Lamora. It's basically nonstop adventure. Any qualms I had about being sympathetic to a con-man/assassin/thief as a protagonist were quickly put to rest with Scott Lynch's rich portrayal of the beguiling Locke Lamora and his city of Camorr in this novel. The vibrant character navigates a story that superbly connects a coming of age tale with gang facets alongside a swashbuckling Three Musketeers-like adventure sprinkled with magic and humor in appropriate places. With dukes, kings, alchemists, spies, thieves and mafia dons as its inhabitants, the city of Camorr feels real and solid as if existing somewhere in medieval or Renaissance Italy or Spain.
Can't recommend this enough for anyone looking for a damn good book about good "bad guys."
Oh god I love this question. I've got some fantastic recommendations:
Fantasy Series:
The Gentleman Bastards Sequence
by Scott Lynch
Book One: The Lies of Locke Lamora
Simultaneously one of my top 5 favorite fantasy novels, and my favorite Heist story of all time.
Suspense, Intrigue, Visceral action, and some of the wittiest, best-written dialog I've ever read in fiction make this series simultaneously dark, tense, and hilarious.
Thank god Lynch was wondering what a swords and sorcery take on Ocean's Eleven would look like, because the thought never occurred to me before this.
The Mistborn Trilogy
by Brandon Sanderson
Get the boxed set. Just do it.
Sanderson is perhaps best known for being chosen to continue the Wheel of Time series after the passing of Robert Jordan; and this is very unfortunate. I would take Mistborn over WoT any day.
The author's passion seems to be exotic settings, and unique magic systems with a solid set of rules. You get so attuned to what Mistborn's Allomancy can and can't do, that it seems as fundamental as gravity by the end. And speaking of endings, this one is Incredibly well thought out.
-----------------------------
I've got stuff to do, so I'll cut it off here for now, but seriously, check them out. And Please don't ask me which I'd recommend more, I don't want my head to explode.
More to come, if I'm not too lazy. I'm full of these.
The Lies of Locke Lamora
Excellent world. Adventure, twists, character growth. This is the first of a series and they are all great.
There is a sequel now and the next is supposedly coming out sometime soon (read as, in a year or so).
edit: http://www.amazon.com/Red-Seas-Under-Skies/dp/0553588958/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1330626347&amp;sr=8-3
How it is written is as important as what it says.
After people read Lolita I always recommend they try reading the annotated version amazon link
If you read the book and liked it the annotations help you appreciate it in a new light and realize all the things you missed. If you read the book and didn't like it they help you understand why it is so well written and why people love it.
It's a strong contender for best-written novel of the 20th century.
(Not like that would be an important consideration or anything. :-) )
Unless you're extremely literate, you must get the annotated edition which explains the ten or so jokes and references on every page.
- http://www.amazon.com/Annotated-Lolita-Revised-Updated/dp/0679727299 -
I'd say American Psycho This book is absolutely amazing, and one of the best I've read. I've always been intrigued by the human mind. What makes people the way they are, and do the things the do. Love the true crime genre, etc etc. I think that Bret Easton Ellis did an amazing job of putting you in the mind of one of the most depraved, narcissistic, terrible (yet somehow almost likeable) fictional characters you could imagine. All I can say is, if you want to read something much different, then read this. (if you haven't already). Also, it's VERY graphic, so be warned. :)
2.10/10
I haven't read any of these, but I'm fairly certain they would interest you:
American Psycho
Lucky
The Lovely Bones
The first one I am sure would be what you're looking for, the other two maybe not so much--not to mention I think they focus more on the emotion and psychological aspects--but they came to mind.
He wasn't. Source. Sorry to spoil it for you.
Some movies are based off of books
I recently re-read The Trial, and I adored Breon Mitchell's translation, which is "Based On The Restored Text," meaning it contains passages the previous versions did not.
The translation is very contemporary. I found it remarkably easy (and fun!) to read.
The publisher, Schocken, also put out versions of The Castle, Amerika, and The Complete Stories (which would obviously include The Metamorphosis, A Hunger Artist, In the Penal Colony, and my personal favorite Kafka story, A Report to an Academy), but their translations were not done by Mitchell and I have not read them, so I can't comment on that.
She probably has all of the books you've mentioned if she really likes them, bookish people usually do... A special edition might be an idea, but I won't be able to help you with that, I go for cheap paperbacks due to money ;)
I'm tempted to recommend "We" by Yevgeny Zamyatin, it's not sci-fi classic per se, but it's a dystopian classic, she would probably like it if she likes Brave New World, but again, she might already have it. Still I'm sure she'd be thrilled to get a thoughtful thank you gift from you, even if she's read it before or even has a copy... Here's a link to that book on amazon, if you want to have a look: amazon link
If she does like classic sci-fi, here are some old-school, hard sci-fi (but it's not all just spaceships and aliens) that she might enjoy and possibly even not have, since a couple of the authors aren't from English speaking countries:
We
You've already got the answer, but I liked the following two books as touching on some similar kind of dystopian themes:
David Suski, The Wired Man. Life is dominated by your social media score.
https://www.amazon.com/Wired-Man-David-Adam-Suski/dp/0615964788
Max Barry. Jennifer Government. People and countries are owned by corporations.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1400030927/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1485760706&amp;sr=8-1&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&amp;keywords=jennifer+government&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=41QC2KGBDVL&amp;ref=plSrch
Here's a fantastic book that covers this situation.
https://www.amazon.com/Jennifer-Government-Max-Barry/dp/1400030927
so basically the plot to this
A good book to read afterwards is 'Jennifer Government', which takes the opposing POV - the hero is living in a Anarcho-Capitalist dystopia, and works for the government.
http://www.amazon.com/Jennifer-Government-Max-Barry/dp/1400030927
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1250
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1455512869/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_ku7ktb06D5Y8D
My favorite Psych moment is EVERY TIME Shawn puts his finger to his head. It always means something great and funny is about to happen.
Not exactly the same thing, but Horrorstor fits the "spooky Ikea" criteria.
Try Horrorstor
https://www.amazon.com/Horrorstor-Novel-Grady-Hendrix/dp/1594745269
> "A Very Bad Thing"
Ah, that explains the "thing that happened". Guess we don't need Painting by Numbers after all!
^^^^But ^^^^God ^^^^damnit ^^^^I ^^^^still ^^^^want ^^^^it!
Amazon!
If you like that type of book (told by different POV), I would recommend Rant by Chuck Palahniuk. Not a children's novel though.
https://www.amazon.com/Rant-Oral-Biography-Buster-Casey/dp/0307275833
Thanks! You're missing the close parentheses on the url though
and for others I found this link/synopsis more informational
How'd you like the book though, might read it over the summer, seems really different
You should read the book Rant by Chuck Palahniuk! The main character is a bizarre guy who develops the same heightened sense in a weird way.
doesn't black widow venom do this, or was that just the plot of Rant?
You may like this.
If you spend time in the webcomics part of the internet you probably heard of Machine of Death when it was published a couple years back. If you don't, you probably never heard of it, unless you heard Glenn Beck complaining that this book kept one of his books from debuting at #1.
The book is a collection of short stories that were inspired by a Dinosaur Comics webcomic that fans wanted the author to make happen. Notable figures from across the internet, as well as some random authors, each wrote a short story based only on that comic (essentially, that a machine somehow existed that would tell you in very few words how you would die, but not when or where). Every story is accompanied by a single amazing illustration from a different artist.
What is so cool about the book is that every author worked from the same original but with no communication, so you get these amazingly unique interpretations. Many are sad, but some are happy and a few are laugh out loud funny. I read it during a cross country trip and absolutely lost myself in it for the better part of the trip.
(On a side note, a few people are recommending Chuck Pahalniuk. His style will engross you, hold you tight, and then hold your head underwater until you can't breath. He regularly has people pass out at the line "corn and peanuts" when he reads a particular short story to groups. If you pick one of his books, go with one where the characters do a lot of the story telling, it adds so many layers of depth and gives you some needed diversity in prose. Rant or Haunted I would say are hands down his best books, despite the fact that Fightclub and Choke were made into movies.)
Apparently this book is non-fiction.
http://www.amazon.com/Rant-Oral-Biography-Buster-Casey/dp/0307275833
...you should read Rant.
Wild Thing by Josh Bazell
Source: http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Thing-Novel-Josh-Bazell/dp/0316032204
Wild Thing by Josh Bazell
http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Thing-Novel-Josh-Bazell/dp/0316032204
I thought I recognized this. It's from Wild Thing by Josh Bazell. It's the sequel to Beat the Reaper but honestly not anywhere as good. Beat the Reaper was a fun read though. Kind of a satirical crime thriller. Reads like a mixture of Hiaasen and Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash. With lots of swearing - which is a little juvenile - and some thinly-veiled social commentary. Overall I'd recommend it if you're stuck in an airport or need something engaging while on vacation.
How about Year Zero?
Year Zero. If you like absurd comedic writing the likes of Douglas Adams, this is for you.
You guys & gals should check out this book The premise is pretty funny. So is the book itself.
Annnnd here we go again. I'm doing this with all books, just because.
Allegiant
Berenstain Bears
Calvin and Hobbes
Dune
Edgar Allen Poe collection
Fahrenheit 451
Gulliver's Travels
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
If You Give A Mouse A Cookie
Julie of the Wolves
Kite Runner
Little House on the Prairie
Machine of Death
Neverending Story
Omnitopia Dawn (The book I'm reading now, actually!)
Pilgrim's Progress
Quarter Share (Also available free as a podiobook!)
Room
Snow Crash
[Tell-Tale Brain](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_9?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&amp;field-keywords=tell-tale brain&sprefix=tell-tale%2Cstripbooks%2C222&rh=i%3Astripbooks%2Ck%3Atell-tale brain&ajr=2)
Uglies
Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Watership Down
Xenocide
Year Zero
Zen and the Art of Knitting
They dig all our music. Source is the book Year Zero.
exhibit A
Here it is...
http://www.amazon.com/Year-Zero-Novel-Rob-Reid/dp/0345534514
Could it be Year Zero, by Rob Reid?
>Low-level entertainment lawyer Nick Carter thinks it’s a prank, not an alien encounter, when a redheaded mullah and a curvaceous nun show up at his office. But Frampton and Carly are highly advanced (if bumbling) extraterrestrials. The entire cosmos, they tell him, has been hopelessly hooked on American pop songs ever since “Year Zero” (1977 to us), resulting in the biggest copyright violation since the Big Bang and bankrupting the whole universe.
For a good look at the history of the NFL I recommend America's Game by Michael MacCambridge. It's main focus is on the NFL/AFL merger and the business side of how Pro Football became so popular.
The other book I enjoyed was Leatherheads of the North by Chuck Frederick. It's a book about the early days of the NFL, mainly about the Duluth Kelleys/Eskimos, and how the league almost died a few times during those rough and tumble days of the roaring 20's. It's pretty short but it's a lot of fun to peer back to a time before the NFL had the strength and popularity it enjoys now.
America's Game by Michael MacCambridge is a tremendously detailed chronology of the NFL. I believe it starts with the 1958 championship game and continues to present day. I highly recommend it.
Go get this book. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0375725067?pc_redir=1409147524&amp;robot_redir=1
One of the best football history books I've ever read - and it'll give you a new appreciation for your team. Basically, the NFC north wouldn't exist without the Browns.
Well, all the usual discussion aside, I really liked Welcome To The Monkey House when I was younger. Time for a re-read.
I agree with the short story idea. It takes a long time to narrate well. There are a lot of tips for doing this over at LibriVox.
As for a book suggestion, maybe look at some of Vonnegut's short stories. Like those in Welcome to the Monkey House.
Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut.
Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang.
Fully Loaded Thrillers by Blake Crouch.
Bears Discover Fire by Terry Bisson.
I'm a huge fan of short stories. 20 pages (give or take) and the story is run from beginning to end.
Here are some superb short story collections -
The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories
By LEO TOLSTOY
http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/179299/the-death-of-ivan-ilyich-and-other-stories-by-leo-tolstoy/9780307388865/
John Steinbeck is a maestro of the short novella. An American master. The Short Novels of John Steinbeck
http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/305862/the-short-novels-of-john-steinbeck-by-john-steinbeck/9780143105770/
Mark Twain did some of his best work in short stories.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/complete-short-stories-of-mark-twain-mark-twain/1100302841
Kurt Vonnegut's collection of short stories Welcome To The Monkey House is one of his best books.
http://www.amazon.com/Welcome-Monkey-House-Kurt-Vonnegut/dp/0385333501
Here is a fine work, not much read in the US these days sadly, but I feel this work will rise again. The Guardian rates it as the 58th greatest literary work of the 20th century. I agree. A much larger undertaking than short stories, John Dos Passos 'USA' trilogy, U.S.A.: The 42nd Parallel / 1919 / The Big Money is a longer term project in understanding how the pieces fit together -
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/oct/27/100-best-novels-john-dos-passos-nineteen-nineteen-1919-usa-trilogy
History
True History of the American Revolution – Sydney George Fisher
Life and Liberty in America – Charles Mackay
Land of the Dollar – George Steevens
Outre-Mer – Paul Bourget
Shall Cromwell Have a Statue? – Charles Francis Adams Jr.
Memoirs of Service Afloat – Adm. Raphael Semmes
The Roving Editor – James Redpath
Democracy and the Party System in the United States – Moisei Ostrogorskiy
A South-Side View of Slavery – Nehemiah Adams
The Origin of the Late War – Lunt
Reflection on the Revolution in France – Edmund Burke
Origins of English Individualism – Alan MacFarlane
The Shortest-Way With The Dissenters – Daniel Defoe
While you Slept – John T. Flynn
The Road Ahead; America’s Creeping Revolution – John T. Flynn
America’s Retreat from Victory – Joseph R. McCarthy
****
Fiction/Poetry
Complete Verse – Rudyard Kipling*
Harrison Bergeron – Kurt Vonnegut*
Camp of the Saints – Jean Raspail
Darkness at Noon – Arthur Koestler
****
Other Related Reading Lists
A reactionary library
The Neoreactionary Canon
Derbyshire’s list of Dark Enlightenment blogs
The Great Books of The Aristocracy
Library of the Dark Enlightenment
Great Books for Men’s reading list
Foseti’s “Books that influenced me”
Moldbug’s Slow History
The Patrician’s Library
Breakfast of Champions can be read on many levels and is thoroughly enjoyable. Vonnegut books were always on the shelves at my parents' house and I read that and then Venus on the Half Shell fake-ly written by Kilgore Trout (a Vonnegut character) but really done by Philip Jose Farmer -- then I started a long series of science fiction.
This is one of the most entertaining and funniest books I've read: http://www.amazon.com/Venus-Half-Shell-Kilgore-Trout/dp/0899683061/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1347328073&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=venus+on+the+half+shell+kilgore+trout I'd also recommend: http://www.amazon.com/Breakfast-Champions-Novel-Kurt-Vonnegut/dp/0385334206/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1347328142&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=breakfast+of+champions+by+kurt+vonnegut
Try something different, here are a few suggestions:
Read 1984 for the dystopian aspect, for sci-fi pick up Isaac Asimov as mentioned by the_thinker.. And if you want a good, fun and captivating read, pick up Chuck Palahniuk's works, I'm a big fan of those. Try Survivor, Lullaby, Choke, any of those are amazing
I also really love this book. It's more in depth about melee combat, and is a great book. They both are my two favorite zombie guides for sure.
Zombie related: The Zombie Combat Manual by Roger Ma. The Walking Dead By Robert Kirkman. Zombies(http://www.amazon.com/Zombies-Record-Infection-Don-Roff/dp/0811871002/ref=pd_sim_b_13) by Don roff
Survival Related: The SAS Survival Guide, The Ultimate Sniper by (Ret.) Col. J. Plaster, The Emergency-Disaster Survival Guidebook.
I know it's not a book. The Colony is an interesting watch if you ever get some time to sink in information.
My brother took my copy with him to the military and lost it v.v...jerk.
Since then I've replaced it and also added Zombie Combat Manual
Sounds like the plot to Artemis!
I just started reading The Lies of Locke Lamora today, and so far (~60 pages in) I am really enjoying it! I'm also reading Libra for a literature class, and I am enjoying that a lot less.
I've read most of those and LOVED them. I'll just say you're looking for fictional "good books" and go from there. I recommend:
Ender's Game is seriously so much better than the movie. It's amazing what people will do to ensure the safety of the human race, without fully seeing the whole picture.
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wroblewski. I was hesitant at first, always seeing it, but never checking it out at the library. It wound up being one of my favorite books to read, it was that good. Story of a mute boy raised on a farm breeding dogs. He can sign, and has pretty good life, as far as things go, until his father dies. He tries to prove his uncle had a hand in the death, but the plan backfires. Hated the ending - not because it was bad, but it was so damn sad.
If you're willing to poke at a series, try Scott Lynch's Gentlemen Bastards series, the first book is The Lies of Locke Lamora. The series centers around Locke and his shenanigans as a Gentleman Bastard - a notorious gang of thieves. They pull off some pretty intense schemes, some with great success, some with spectacular failures. It's a great series, and another set of favorites that I recommend to everyone that'd ask.
Congratulations on the new job, hope it works out well for you! Also, I love that you had such a great turn out for your book drive. My kids know how important it is to read - I actually push my daughter to read a little bit above her grade level. She keeps a reading log for homework, so her teachers are pretty impressed. She did amazingly well on her latest state reading/math test, and her teacher believes it's because of all the reading she does. If you do another drive, I hope it goes just as well.
Nice list, have you read The Lies of Locke Lamora yet?
Amazon (Red Seas Under Red Skies)
I would first echo most people here and say Sanderson's anything- Elantris comes to mind as a good recommendation.
When you say in the same calibre, are you talking in terms of story, in terms of being high fiction, in terms of length or in terms of moments that make you go, "ohhh... well DAMN!"
I would recommend a lot of things I saw below, so I'm going to try to not do that any more than I already have. The Conan Chronicles by Robert Howard are fun and a much unappreciated classic of Low Fantasy. Orcs by Stan Nicholls is a great series, somewhere in the middle ground between high and low fantasy, and does an interesting twist on the classical fantasy story. The Gentleman Bastards series is another interesting take, but it is more of an Ocean's 11 in a fantasy world. I only saw one mention, but anything Tolkien is a must read if for nothing else than to pay respect to the godfather. The Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks is another good story, and it uses a lot of the ideas Jordan uses in terms of who knows what, why and when to progress the story. Finally, for a more Eastern themed book, Tales of the Otori by Liam Hearn is a good trilogy with a lot of political twists.
EDIT: added a link for Elantris
Not sure if it's appropriate for this thread and subreddit, but may I suggest a book? I just finished reading The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch and it's a funny, action-packed novel about a gang of thieves in a fantasy world and I already consider it one of my favorite books, it was so much fun to read.
I thought the lies of Locke Lamora was similar , check it out!!
https://www.amazon.com/Lies-Locke-Lamora-Gentleman-Bastards/dp/055358894X
Hm, here are some recommendations of my favorite Dark/Gritty Fantasies that immediately come to mind:
Joe Abercrombie is one of my favorite new authors, his books are incredibly gritty dark and original, but the characters are simply amazing. The best starting place is The Blade Itself, but you can read his two other books that aren't part of the trilogy and can be read without losing too much, though they are in the same world and there's more to like about it if you already read the First Law Trilogy. Out of his two stand alone books I'd recommend Best Served Cold which is a Fantasy revenge story in the vain of Kill Bill.
One really good book I read recently is Daniel Polansky's Low Town which is a really cool gritty noir fantasy novel. Where the main character is a former detective for a Fantasy city, but at the beginning of the book he's a drug dealer. Then when murders start to occur, he gets drawn back into the politics of the city, resulting in a great story and multiple plot twists and revelations.
One of my favorites books I've read recently has to be Brent Week's Black Prism. It has some really unique world building, where the magic powers are based on light/colors, and the different magic users have different really unique powers based on their color wavelength. His previous work, the Night Angel Trilogy is also great and it's a little more gritty, with the main character being an assassin.
Next I'll go a little indie here, with the author Jon Sprunk's Shadow's Sun. It features an assassin with slight magical powers and the conscience of a beautiful invisible woman (a real imaginary friend) that is always following him around. There's a lot of things to like in this book, even if they are a little shallow.
Two books from different authors (both of which I really loved) that have kind of similar settings featuring thieves running amok in the underbellies of fantasy cities with a decent amount of grit (without being too dark) are The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch and Doug Hulick's Among Thieves.
There's also Ari Marmell's [The Conqueror's Shadow] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Conquerors-Shadow-Ari-Marmell/dp/0553593153/ref=la_B001JSDH98_1_20?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1340785404&amp;sr=1-20), the main character is a former evil warlord who gave it all up to live a mundane life with a woman he kidnapped. He then has to put back on his fear inducing armor, when someone else is out in the world impersonating him. There is no evil force in this book, and there's a lot of interesting stuff here, the guy actually has a demonic amulet as a partner that provides him with magical abilities, and the demon is hilarious.
The next series isn't too gritty but it's awesome, so I'd still recommend the author Michael Sullivan, a DIY author that was so successful Orbit picked up his 6 book series to release as three larger books (he's also done some great AMA's on Reddit), the first of which is Theft of Swords. The characters in his book are absolutely superb. It's about these two master thieves that are brought into the conspiracy that they wanted no part of, but will see it to the end no matter what the cost.
Robin Hobb technically isn't real gritty, but she is one of my favorite authors, and in her books serious and horrible things can happen to the characters at times, but the endings of some of her trilogies are some of my favorite endings I've ever read. You could start with her first book about the bastard son of a king (that can bond with animals) being trained as an assassin, Assassin's Apprentice, or my favorite trilogy of her's set in the same universe but a different continent, Ship of Magic that has some awesome pirate settings, talking ships, and dragons. I also love one of her other trilogies set in a different universe than the rest of her books, Shaman's Crossing, the first book has kind of a Harry Potter-esque academy setting without the magic, and the rest of the trilogy gets into some really interesting stuff that's too weird to attempt to explain.
I think that's all I got, and you wouldn't go wrong reading any of these books, all of the pages I linked to are the book's Amazon page, so you can read further descriptions that I'm sure are better than mine. :)
Not Similar to white collar, but for a fantasy-style "Ocean's 11" book:
Lies of Locke Lamora
Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive.
Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastards.
Peter V. Brett's The Demon Cycle is just ok, nothing amazing.
I have 0 experience with incarceration, but I have loads of experience with books. Not sure his interests, but here are a few books I adore:
The Lies of Locke Lamora - Basically an Ocean's 11 heist story set in a world similar to Game of Thrones.
The Name of the Wind - (from the Amazon description) The riveting first-person narrative of a young man who grows to be the most notorious magician his world has ever seen.
Cosmos - Carl Sagan saw the best in our species. This book is what the TV series was based on.
I would encourage your friend to read text books as well while he is inside as well. Pick a topic they have an interest in, and find an older textbook on the subject. For me that would be this book. Not a topic I was educated on, but something I have an interest in.
Thank you for supporting your friend!
http://www.amazon.com/The-Annotated-Lolita-Revised-Updated/dp/0679727299
This is the copy that was given to me as a gift, and I thought it was great. Loved having the translations readily available while reading.
or read it...
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis.
A copy of American Psycho
I've been loaning it from the library for quite a while and I want my own copy. It's a pretty creepy book....I guess.
https://www.amazon.com/American-Psycho-Bret-Easton-Ellis/dp/0679735771/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1501875923&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=american+psycho+book
It seems [American Psycho](
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0679735771/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_js1Dwb3Z7VTMD) would be a good choice for you.
Amazon description: "In American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis imaginatively explores the incomprehensible depths of madness and captures the insanity of violence in our time or any other. Patrick Bateman moves among the young and trendy in 1980s Manhattan. Young, handsome, and well educated, Bateman earns his fortune on Wall Street by day while spending his nights in ways we cannot begin to fathom. Expressing his true self through torture and murder, Bateman prefigures an apocalyptic horror that no society could bear to confront."
I'd suggest any Bret Easton Ellis books, especially American Psycho. I would describe it exactly as a psychological thriller. And if you haven't read them, the Kingkiller Chronicles is a fantastic fantasy trilogy. The first book is The Name of the Wind
Technology related would for sure be The Cuckoo's Egg, and Ghost in the Wires
Not tech related, Junky, American Psycho, and Kitchen Confidential
http://www.amzn.com/0679735771
Did a quick Google search and found this on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Trial-Translation-Based-Restored/dp/0805209999/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1407778965&amp;sr=1-4
I've seen them at every Barnes & Noble I've went to as well.
This is the translation that finally "broke" The Trial for me. Prior to that, I had a love/hate relationship with Kafka. After reading Mitchell's translation, it's tilted heavily in favor of love. Schocken has a good paperback edition here.
How about The Trial by Franz Kafka
I don't have any particular reason for recommending this, but it fits your criteria and I dig Kafka.
If you decide to go with The Trial, I read this translation and enjoyed it greatly.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Trial-Translation-Based-Restored/dp/0805209999/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1375019502&amp;sr=8-6&amp;keywords=The+Trial
I had to read The Trial a few semesters ago for one of my classes and this is the version we used. I would be more than happy to send you it if you would like just send me a PM.
I'd also recommend We. Both Brave New World and 1984 were influenced heavily by it
We by Yevgeny Zamyatin is right up your alley. It's very dark, dystopian, and has sci-fi elements. This book came out in the 1920's, WAY before 1984 or Brave New World. It is difficult at some points but really challenges you and it made me question a lot of things about myself. Good luck getting out of the slump, I am in one myself
If you liked 1984 (or Brave New World) you should check out "We". It was the book that inspired both 1984 and Brave New York. It's fantastic and you can see where a lot of elements from both other books got their inspiration.
We
Obligatory wiki links: Dystopian Literature. Although, some of the titles listed don't seem to fit (The Dispossessed?). Nuclear holocaust fiction, and your general apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction.
Some of the better/more popular ones:
Zombies: World War Z, Raise the Dead, Marvel Zombies, Zombie Survival Guide, Day By Day Armageddon, I Am Legend.
Also, just for kicks, some of my favorite dystopian movies:
Brazil, Soylent Green, 12 Monkeys, Blade Runner, Akira, Children of Men, Dark City, A Boy and His Dog, Logan's Run, Idiocracy, Equillibrium.
Read We then next.
Comments in this thread reminded me about this game. I played it a while ago, after reading Jennifer Government, which I thought was a fun little capitalist dystopia. In this game, you are presented with scenarios where you get to describe what you'd like to sign into law, based on scenarios that your legislature has presented. You can interact with other "governments" if you like, or just see what kind of world your views would land you in.
It's not a game for those who want speedy answers. It'll pose situations over time.
Ever read Jennifer Government?
I don't believe this is in the same style, but it fits up with a lot of those on your to-read list.
Jennifer Government by Max Barry - It's dystopian future but feels a little bit lighter than something like 1984, Fight Club or Fahrenheit 451. It's also a more recently published book.
I guess when I say 'lighter' its hard to explain but it felt a little like when I read Catcher in the Rye in terms of gravity.
You might want to try Jennifer Government by Max Barry. It deals with some of these themes and has a few well-done action sequences.
This game was originally designed by author Max Barry as a sort of promotional website for his novel Jennifer Government, which is a satire of corporate oligopoly where everything (including government) has been privatized.
> Well, that's maybe because you redefined these words.
I didnt. But there are people who did.
I can't decide if you would find this book entertaining, or if it would make you feel worse!
Reminds me of something from the novel Horrorstör.
Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!
Here are your smile-ified links:
Horrorstör
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^^i'm ^^a ^^friendly&nbsp;bot
This is a novel set in a store that's basically a parody of IKEA. Have you read it? If so, what did you think? https://www.amazon.com/Horrorstor-Novel-Grady-Hendrix/dp/1594745269/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
LPT: be Chuck Palahniuk
no, THIS is the breakfast of champions.
would trade American Psycho, this edition for Hot Water Music if you are interested
> "Hey, Harry Potter/A Game of Thrones/Northern Lights/American Psycho were written 20+ years ago! I shouldn't have to pay 11.99 for copies! They should be 3.99 at most they're so old! Only new stuff should be expensive!"
Ummm....yes, actually. Would you pay $10,000 for a 1992 Ford Taurus, even if it still "runs well"? Would you pay $25 a The Dark Knight Blu-ray, even though it was one of the best movies of the 2000s and, arguably, the best movie of 2008? Would you pay $40 for A Link to the Past, a game considered the greatest of all time? No, you wouldn't. Despite those items still holding up and being great, you would not pay that expensive price for them, precisely because they were old.
There's such a thing as depreciation, and the market determines that (go to any used game store and CoD4 will be $5-7, whereas a black label copy of, say, Marvel vs Capcom 2 will be like $50, due to rarity). They're keeping the price artificially high to make it seem like a "premium" product that's still "in demand". If that were truly the case and people were still gobbling this game up (I'm not saying the community isn't still there, I'm talking about new consumers. That's what 'demand' addresses), they would continuously be bragging about the sales and that would justify its price point. You wanna know why GTAV is still $60? Because millions of people are still buying the game, to this day, and some milestone achievement is announced every 6 months or so. That obviously isn't true for CoD4, despite how good the game is.
Oh, and btw, I really don't know what point you were trying to make mentioning any of those books, considering:
Harry Potter
A Game of Thrones
Northern Lights
American Psycho (This one appears to hold up, but apparently it's a rare book)
I intentionally sorted by new, because if I picked used, the price would literally be a penny for 3 of those books, and $0.74 for the last.
It's only the begining.
He probably thinks Jennifer Government sounds like a utopia.
lol reddit.
The left wing version of this
Quite the... NOVEL idea.
I think OP's answer is kinda refering to Year Zero? Anyone?
Can we not turn this subreddit into /r/TIL. TIL post don't really add much in the way of discussion (especially when it's just linking to Wikipedia articles).
For anyone interested in more NFL history I would highly recommend reading America's Game by Michael MacCambridge. I read it back in high school and it did an excellent job of giving a good overview of the NFL's history (going back to the 1930s I think).