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I need a book. .to read.

#61
"The Bone People" by Kerrie Hulme, one of the best books to come out of NZ

"Jimbo" by Algernon Blackwood, late 19th C psych horror about a child kidnapped by the angel Fright

"The Gormenghast Trilogy" by Mervyn Peake, beautiful

Everything by Richard Brautigan

paulie
 
#62
geeza said:
Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein
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+ A Zillion

Required reading for any searcher.

Two suggestions, seemingly unrelated but surprisingly aligned.

Illusions - The Adventures of A Reluctant Messiah

by Richard Bach

Light reading story with provocation of thought on every page. An oldie but a goodie.

"If you will practice being fictional for a while, you will understand that fictional characters are sometimes more real than people with bodies and heartbeats."

&

The Book of Five Rings

by Miyamoto Musashi

Many consider "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu the ultimate guide to strategy. I personally find Five Rings much more approachable and equally insightful as a tool of living.

"It is difficult to realize the true Way just through sword-fencing. Know the smallest things and the biggest things, the shallowest things and the deepest things."
The Book of Five Rings: Miyamoto Musashi
 
#63
Unless I overlooked a suggestion ...

One more I haven't seen mentioned, the entire Don Juan series by Carlos Castaneda.

The Teachings of don Juan
A Separate Reality
Journey to Ixtlan
Tales Of Power
The Second Ring of Power
The Eagle's Gift
The Fire From Within
The Power of Silence
The Art of Dreaming
The Active Side of Infinity
The Wheel of Time

"For me there is only the traveling on the paths that have heart, on any path that may have heart. There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge for me is to traverse its full length. And there I travel--looking, looking, breathlessly."

"The basic premise of sorcery for a sorcerer is that the world of everyday life is not real, or out there, as we believe it is. For a sorcerer, reality, or the world we all know, is only a description."
 
#66
Radical Edward said:
I'd like to read a book that's very well-written, can keep me awake for hours, and will keep me thinking for days after I've read it. I need a truly GOOD book to read. My life has been crazy and busy, as usual, and I've come to realize that if I'm thinking all the time,
( like constantly ) then I should give myself something really good to think about. Makes sense, right? Anyway, maybe it doesn't, but regardless I 'd like suggestions, people. I enjoy sci-fi, fantasy, and/or documentary/biography-type books. Books that question moral values, society, or the "norm" in any way, etc.

So.. any suggestions and a bit about the book would be appreciated. :3
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Ayn Rand - Atlas Shrugged. Don't read it with the bias of political idiots (from either side). Use it to read about the power of the human spirit and what is possible when one has a purpose of their mind. It changed my life more than any other book. Definitely makes you question moral values (and those of others).

Robert Heinlein - the Moon is a Harsh Mistress.
 
#67
Chebass88 said:
Ayn Rand - Atlas Shrugged. Don't read it with the bias of political idiots (from either side). Use it to read about the power of the human spirit and what is possible when one has a purpose of their mind. It changed my life more than any other book. Definitely makes you question moral values (and those of others).

Robert Heinlein - the Moon is a Harsh Mistress.
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I've tried to read Altlas Shrugged 5 different times and end up quitting within the same 10 pages or so, every time. :eek: I just can't get into the book.
 
#70
Kawai-chang said:
I've tried to read Altlas Shrugged 5 different times and end up quitting within the same 10 pages or so, every time. :eek: I just can't get into the book.
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Try 'The Fountainhead' instead. Easier to read than Atlas Shrugged, but pretty much the same philosophy.

MatticusMania said:
Thats my favorite Kerouac book. There is an On The Road movie that should be released soon, it was recently screened at Cannes. Another book of Kerouac's I really enjoyed was 'Desolation Angels'.
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Same here - liked it much better than On The Road. I'll check out Desolation Angels.
 
#71
ubermiguel said:
I'm a left-leaning hippie most of the time but Ayn Rand is a pretty interesting (and very misunderstood). Just skip any monologues over 10 pages.
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I too am a left leaning hippie all the time. I agree with the previous suggestion of the bible. It also is pretty interesting and very misunderstood. Try the book of John in the Message translation.
 
#72
MatticusMania said:
Thats my favorite Kerouac book. There is an On The Road movie that should be released soon, it was recently screened at Cannes. Another book of Kerouac's I really enjoyed was 'Desolation Angels'.
Click to expand...

Have you read "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test?" It is about Ken Kesey, Wavey Gravey and a bunch of others driving around the counry in an old school bus and taking LSD. Neil Cassady was the bus driver. One of the chapters talks about them visiting Jack Kerouac.
 
#74
pauliepaulie said:
"The Bone People" by Kerrie Hulme, one of the best books to come out of NZ

"Jimbo" by Algernon Blackwood, late 19th C psych horror about a child kidnapped by the angel Fright

"The Gormenghast Trilogy" by Mervyn Peake, beautiful

Everything by Richard Brautigan

paulie
Click to expand...

I love Brautigan, my favorite shorts by him are "The Kool aid Wino" "The Revenge of the Lawn" and another story that I have forgotten the title of. It is about a very beautiful girl who struggles with people only seeing her as a beautiful girl and she begins to cut herself. Anyone know the title of that one?
 
#76
Radical Edward said:
I'd like to read a book that's very well-written, can keep me awake for hours, and will keep me thinking for days after I've read it. I need a truly GOOD book to read. My life has been crazy and busy, as usual, and I've come to realize that if I'm thinking all the time,
( like constantly ) then I should give myself something really good to think about. Makes sense, right? Anyway, maybe it doesn't, but regardless I 'd like suggestions, people. I enjoy sci-fi, fantasy, and/or documentary/biography-type books. Books that question moral values, society, or the "norm" in any way, etc.

So.. any suggestions and a bit about the book would be appreciated. :3
Click to expand...

:smug: get all the threads on line arrays vs everything else, et tu, et al. :hiding:
 
#77
Kawai-chang said:
I was just doing some reading on Wikipedia to get the gist of her philosophy.

Interesting theory, but made my small brain hurt.
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Ive never really been into the ideals in which she stands for, but I did enjoy the novella.
I keep telling myself I need to give Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead a shot, but Ive yet to pick either of them up.
 
#78
pauliepaulie said:
Everything by Richard Brautigan
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When I was in my early 20s I agreed whole-heartedly.

Now, some ~25 years later, I find his material doesn't resonate nearly as strongly for me; it doesn't seem to have aged well, and comes across as a bit too naive, simplistic, and feeble. I.e., his images seem limited to a rather one-dimensional "equivalency algorithm" (eg, turds = heartbreak, nudity = vulnerability, etc.) and the scope of emotions expressed seem limited to adolescent growing pains.

Of course, I've only ever read the stuff of his that he'd already written ~25 years ago, so I'm not giving him credit for potentially growing as a writer just as I grew as a reader.

In any case, he was a wonderfully inspiring author when I was young, but that same material no longer inspires me. But I'll bet he'd still be a gas to hang out with at parties.
 
#79
slobake said:
Have you read "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test?" It is about Ken Kesey, Wavey Gravey and a bunch of others driving around the counry in an old school bus and taking LSD. Neil Cassady was the bus driver. One of the chapters talks about them visiting Jack Kerouac.
Click to expand...

Speaking of Kesey, how 'bout reading 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'? Even better than the movie - it's actually told from the point of view of the Indian.
 
#80
Roscoe East said:
When I was in my early 20s I agreed whole-heartedly.

Now, some ~25 years later, I find his material doesn't resonate nearly as strongly for me; it doesn't seem to have aged well, and comes across as a bit too naive, simplistic, and feeble. I.e., his images seem limited to a rather one-dimensional "equivalency algorithm" (eg, turds = heartbreak, nudity = vulnerability, etc.) and the scope of emotions expressed seem limited to adolescent growing pains.

Of course, I've only ever read the stuff of his that he'd already written ~25 years ago, so I'm not giving him credit for potentially growing as a writer just as I grew as a reader.

In any case, he was a wonderfully inspiring author when I was young, but that same material no longer inspires me. But I'll bet he'd still be a gas to hang out with at parties.
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Unfortunately he commited suicide. :atoz:
 

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