Post: #51

Brave New World

It normally gets compared against 1984. 1984 was a much better read, although Brave New World is the more accurate in regards to current times.

Post: #52

My nominations:
1. Catcher in the Rye: Boring, whiny bullshit about how life isn't as great as some student thought it would be. And guess what? Grown ups lie! What a discovery.
2. The Prince (Machiavelli). It didn't really "suck", but just seemed a compilation of common sense that some guy wrote to try to get back into the halls of power after having been kicked out.
3. Anything by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
4. Beowulf

Books that were great that I thought would be shit:

1. King Solomon's Mines. Just about the most ass-kicking adventure book you'll ever read.
2. Dracula. Yes, the one. A lot better than you would think...conveys an atmosphere of crawling horror like no other book.
3. Dante's Inferno. Expecting a boring read, I was pleasantly surprised. Dante describes hell vividly, and puts all his political enemies there.

Post: #53

on the road. the roots of hipster faggotry

Post: #54

The Wolf of Wall Street
Faulkner - As I Lay Dying.
Blood Meridian - I really enjoyed McCarthy's other books.
One Thousand Years of Solitude - couldn't get into it, didn't finish it.

Post: #55

Seems like everyone hates the catcher in the rye and on the road..

Post: #56

I didn't think Catcher in the Rye was that bad, he openly dislikes certain things/people and goes against the perfect beta-don't-say anything-naughty behavior that's instilled in boys from a young age.

Wouldn't surprise me if that book is banned now.

Post: #57

Wow, I have many books I'll never read.

First but not least, War and Peace. I think I only bought it to stroke my ego but I'll probably never actually get through it. In fact, I doubt I'll read any of the great Russian novels though I own all of the tem.

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. Don't even know what I was thinking with this one. Actually, I saw a friend who I met traveling while in Argentina reading it. I thought he was a smart guy so I decided to emulate him. Not even close to finishing it. Doesn't help that the level of vocabulary is such that you need a dictionary at the ready to digest the writing. There's a good bet that every page will include a word you've never heard of before.

Abiertas Veinas de America Latin (Open Veins of Latin America) by Eduardo Galeano. Now this one I actually read. This was the book the late Hugo Chavez handed to Barack Obama when they first met. It's one of the most beta books I've ever read. One big sob story about the impact colonialism has had on Latin American culture. Cool in theory, but there are no solutions, only grievances. Galeano is typically a fictional writer so his attempt at writing about history is interesting in that he employs fictional literary devices.

Post: #58

anything written by bukowski. totally underwhelming and lame.

Post: #59

(08-14-2013 03:48 AM)the chef Wrote:  anything written by bukowski. totally underwhelming and lame.

Post: #60

(08-14-2013 03:48 AM)the chef Wrote:  anything written by bukowski. totally underwhelming and lame.

Calling Delicioustacos!!

Post: #61

(07-11-2013 02:36 PM)WesternCancer Wrote:  Catch 22

Only book I stopped reading because it sucked

One of the best books I've ever read!

Seriously, man - it sucked because you stopped reading. The first third of the book (maybe less? maybe more?) is really tough and boring, but it's so worth it to push through. I really had to push myself to keep going too (nearly my first to quit as well) but my buddy kept telling me don't set it down. The style is very strange and kind of hard to feel, but once it finally "clicks" that book really whisks you away.

It was one of those books that just left me in a state of dread, horror, awe, and philisophical musing by the time I finished it, yet you're shaking your head and laughing too. It's all so brilliant. I couldn't stop thinking about it for something like two weeks - a true mindfuck.

And what a climax! I'm going to need to go read it again now that you reminded me.

I even read it in Thailand where it's almost impossible to stay focused. And on my first year! Surely you can give it another swing...I assure you it's worth it.

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #62

Totally agree with BB about Catch 22 - an excellent book. And one of the few works of modern fiction that gave rise to a meme that is almost universally understood in much of the western world (a Catch 22 situation).

Post: #63

Not a book exactly. But I can't get my head around Shakespeare.

I think his reputation is linked to the British Empire. During the Victorian era - Shakespeare was used as an example of British genius which half the world was taught to revere and worship. During his own day - and for fifty years after his death - he was largely unknown.

So - I wonder if his work can be judged objectively and separated from the hero worship which surrounds it?

Seems as well that actors and directors are mostly interested in his work since they can all give their unique interpretation of it. As opposed to just trying to let the work speak for itself.

Post: #64

'Catch 22' is a meme which is mostly misused. People get it mixed up with a 'no win situation' all the time. But the concept of a 'catch 22' is more subtle than that.

Post: #65

Really enjoyed reading this thread, already added a few dozen more books to my future reading list.

I completely agree on many books already mentioned
Moby Dick - Tried reading this in 9th grade, probably a little too young, needless to say I only made it about 80 pages. Herman Melville could write 6 pages on the intricacies of a handrail. Incredibly boring.

Tale of Two Cities - Read 60 pages, but I didn't have the time or stomach to stick with it

Also saw several others on here I was forced to read in high school - Joy Luck Club, Their Eyes Were Watching God, anything by Virginia Woolfe, they're all just purely awful. All written by women, what a coincidence...

As far as good books go...here's just a few of my favorites.

(08-08-2013 01:33 PM)CarCrashKid Wrote:  Finally, Shōgun. Read it.

100% agree. Shogun is epic in scope, telling the story Blackthorne, a cunning genius and complete badass, who becomes the first European to set foot on Japanese soil in the 1600s after his ship is blown far off course. Portrays his role in the impending civil war. Loosely based on the true story of William Adams. If you've got a lot of down time to read (20-30+ hours), pick this one up. An absolute page turner, reading this book is like stepping into another world.
There are also loosely based sequels, I've read Tai-pan and Noble House, I'd also recommend those just behind Shogun.

Call of the Wild - despite reading this at 25, thought it was great.
Of Mice and Men
Autobiography of Malcolm X

Childhood's End - surprised to see so little sci-fi or any Arthur C. Clarke on here. The man was way ahead of his time, predicting satellites in the 1940s and exploring some mind-blowing concepts in his works. Childhood's End has probably the greatest mind-fuck of any ending to a book I've ever read. If you enjoy sci-fi and haven't read this, check it out.

Post: #66

(07-10-2013 08:00 PM)Edmund Dantes Wrote:  Check Out:

Richest Man in Babylon
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Outlaw Journalist (Hunter S Thompson's Bio)
The Art of Power (Thomas Jefferson's Bio)
How Language Works by David Crystal
Sherlock Holmes
Anything by Hemingway
Anything by Jack London
Anything by Edgar Allan Poe
Alice in Wonderland & Through The Looking Glass
KING SOLOMON'S MINES (BEAUTIFUL SHIT I FUCKING LOVE IT)
Picture of Dorian Grey
The Illiad
The Aenied
The Odyssey
BEOWULF
Ivanhoe
Anything by HG Wells
Anything by Charles Dickens (but you don't like Tale of Two Cities :/)
Tales of 1001 Nights


Avoid:

To Kill A Mockingbird
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Quicksand
The Good Earth
Diary of Anne Frank
The Joy Luck Club
Perks of Being A Wallflower
Running With Scissors
Girl, Interrupted
(the last 3 I haven't read but seeing what kind of people read them, I would stay away from them)
The Book of Mormon (Barely even finished the first part. The Qu'ran is more entertaining than it)
Heart of Darkness (SUCH A BULLSHIT "CLIMAX")
Scarlet Letter
The Good Soldier (Could not finish it, the narrator is a fucking waffling little faggot)

I'm surprised a guy named Edmund Dantes didn't mention The Counte of Monte Cristo. Best revenge story of all time

Others by Dumas that are amazing The Three Musketeers, 20 years after, actually I read all those books, fucking amazing. You get to know those musketeers so well.

Post: #67

Also read the original stories of Conan the Barbarian by Robert E. Howard. Fucking amazing.

Post: #68

Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Insufferable.

Post: #69

(08-15-2013 05:53 AM)gusfring Wrote:  Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Insufferable.

God yes. The "Coelhization" of modern self-help, fiction and hybrid books during the last two decades is really a tragedy. I shiver whenever someone starts talking how they found a Coelho story profound and life-changing.

Post: #70

I got about ten pages into the Hitchhiker's Guide and threw it out. The whole book is just wankers wanking.

Post: #71

I thought the classic novel "Stoner" was kinda boring..

Post: #72

I thought this is a great thread that deserved a bump.

The Koran. I tried reading it but it didnt have a story feel to it, like the Bible. It felt quite repetitive.

Dianetics. Enough said.

Post: #73

3rded, 4thed & 5ved. Being forced to read Catcher In The Rye made me start to question general intelligence. Just banal narcicissim.

Edit: having scanned whole thread... 15thed, 16thed & 17thed I should have written. Doesn't surprise me amoungst this group.

Post: #74

On the Road by Jack Kerouac is a seriously piss poor book by all measure, and not in an entertaining way. In a painful-to-read-this-is-insulting-everyone's-intelligence way.

I'm utterly convinced that the only reason Kerouac is considered a notable writer by a certain contingent is because he was held up by the establishment to reinforce his degeneracy in the culture, and to inspire more of it after him.

With perhaps the exception of Ken Kesey, that entire Troupe of "Beat" writers especially to include William Burroughs should have been sent to live in let's just say harsh conditions.

Post: #75

I can never get through more than a few pages of "The Power of Now" by Tolle without stopping due to the fact that the entire concept is so obviously and completely self-destructive to the individual as well as the community. It's the most selfish, illogical concept to apply for any other reason but to get over a harsh time that you might have gone through.

I knew (operative word) a man, who had some other issues, who read the book without knowing how to place it in a balanced context of social norms and proceeded to light his life on fire and burn it down.