Posted: 12/27/2007 7:48 PM
Post subject: The TASvideos Bargain Bin Book Club
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theenglishman
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I've been wanting to do this for a while, so I decided to suck up my pride and make this topic. This thread is, if you haven't already guessed, a book thread, meant to reccommend those hidden treasures that would otherwise not get recognition. These can include very obscure works, books locally published or underrated gems by classic authors. They should (but don't have to) be in English. Reccomendations should include a review about a paragraph or two long that details what you liked/disliked about the book and why you think others in the community would like it. So I'll kickstart the thread with a book I just recently finished The Book of the Film of the Story of My Life by Auckland-based comedic writer William Brandt. It's a "coming-of-age a bit late" story smartly tucked in around an intriguing romantic subplot with more than a touch of obscurity. The protagonist, Frederick Case, is a New Zealand screenplay reader living in London, depressed because his wife Sophie had just left him for the chunk Matt Chalmers, with whom she'd performed the first ever BJ in a major film. Frederick is invited by one of his cohorts to a birthday cruise to a South Pacific island, and Sophie and Matt are also invited. Seizing his chance, Frederick hires a local hooker to seduce Matt away from Sophie so he can have her back. Oh yeah, and Sophie's pregnant with what Frederick thinks is his own child. The story is complex and makes absolutely no sense, but you'll be laughing too hard to notice. I recommend this to any intellectual nerds like me who normally can't stand romcoms. It's a good mix of two very different genres that's well-written, intriguing and hilarious. I now pass the microphone onto you.
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Posted: 12/27/2007 10:59 PM
(Edited: 1/6/2008 3:19 AM)
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Ferret_Warlord
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The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. The second half is MUCH better than the second movie. Of all the Ferret Chronicles by Richard Bach, I'd have to say number three, Writer Ferrets: Chasing the Muse, is best. In spite of being about ferrets, it's very human, relating the story of a writer who is trying to fulfill his dreams but has to give up when life pulls him into a different direction. I found it very relatable.
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Posted: 12/28/2007 9:52 AM
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feitclub
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Does it have to be obscure/unknown/overlooked titles? All the books I've read in recent years have been very mainstream (i.e. World War Z, J-Pod, Chuck Palahniuk's Survivor) and I would whole-heartedly recommend them.
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Posted: 12/28/2007 10:45 AM
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Warp
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I can't make a recommendation of it because I haven't read it, but I have for long time been wanting to read Asimov's The End of Eternity. The little I have heard about it has been promising.
Posted: 12/28/2007 11:55 AM
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mmbossman
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"Evaluation of orthopedic and athletic injuries" by Starkey and Ryan is pretty good;) Sorry, my time for reading for pleasure doesn't exist anymore... maybe once I graduate though:)
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Posted: 12/28/2007 4:59 PM
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Blublu
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Ferret Warlord wrote:
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. The second half is MUCH better than the second movie.
Aah, I remember devouring that book as a child. I must have read it a million times. I've always been afraid to re-read it because I thought it might actually be horrible. Maybe I'll pick it up now. I suppose I would recommend "Sock" by Penn Jillette and "Parasite Rex" by Carl Zimmer. The former is a crime novel told from an interesting perspective, and the latter is a science book about parasites, how they live and reproduce, how they exploit their hosts, etc. Really interesting and fun, both of them.
Posted: 12/28/2007 9:19 PM
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Neophos
Joined: 9/30/2007
Posts: 103
Mainstream in terms of "general public knows about 'em", then I got a few to recommend. Mainstream as in "sold more then 35 copies", then, well, ignore these? 1. 1984, George Orwell. A classic, and a great one at that. It's about a militarian society, and the characters, the setting, everything feels real and believable. Anyone who's ever read any sci-fi should read it. 2. The entire Ender series by Orson Scott Card. Ender quartet, Bean quartet, hell, even the short stories if you can get hold of them. Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow are among two of my favorite titels ever. The series follow Ender and Bean, two child-soldiers, starting at their military training and then continuing with their lives. 3. Anything by Isaac Asimov. I, Robot, Dead robot, The Foundation Series (especially this one) , etc. They're just too great if you're into sci-fi. He's the damn godfather of modern sci-fi. I guess I really don't read anything but sci-fi nowadays.
Posted: 12/28/2007 9:33 PM
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theenglishman
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feitclub wrote:
Does it have to be obscure/unknown/overlooked titles?
Yes. That's what going to differentiate this thread from other similar ones.
My current project: Something mysterious (oooooh!) My username is all lower-case letters. Please get it right :(
Posted: 12/28/2007 10:40 PM
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upthorn
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theenglishman wrote:
feitclub wrote:
Does it have to be obscure/unknown/overlooked titles?
Yes. That's what going to differentiate this thread from other similar ones.
You mean, apart from it being on this forum where there are no other similar threads?
How fleeting are all human passions compared with the massive continuity of ducks.
Posted: 12/28/2007 10:50 PM
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Deign
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Anything by Michael Crichton
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Posted: 12/28/2007 11:36 PM
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Dromiceius
Joined: 10/3/2005
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http://librivox.org/squirrels-and-other-fur-bearers-by-john-burroughs/ I've "read" about 50 audiobooks this year, but this is the only one comes to mind as being obscure. It's entertaining. There's a chapter about ferrets.
Posted: 12/29/2007 1:11 AM
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Mukki
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Neophos wrote:
1. 1984, George Orwell. A classic, and a great one at that. It's about a militarian society, and the characters, the setting, everything feels real and believable. Anyone who's ever read any sci-fi should read it.
Really? I disagree. I wrote part of a dissertation on this novel, of which my main conclusion was that its premise was exaggerated and spurious. I agree that it would appeal to sci-fi fans, however, as for being "real and believable" I must disagree. I would, of course, be very interested in why you think otherwise :) If asked for direction on the work of Orwell I would direct most towards 'Animal Farm' as I believe that to be his cleverest and most insightful. I don't have much time to read fiction anymore, however, I've heard good things about 'Survivor', so much so that I intend to read it. On that, I guess I can second Feitclub's recommendation. The only novel I've appreciated to any great extent over the last year or so has been 'The Beach' by Alex Garland as it is one of few modern novels with any (non-clichéd) substance to it. Also, I'm aware that everything above is mainstream and I apologise if I have condemed this thread to anarchy ;)
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Posted: 12/30/2007 6:18 AM
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theenglishman
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Alright, everyone: please stop talking about mainstream books. Pretty please?
My current project: Something mysterious (oooooh!) My username is all lower-case letters. Please get it right :(
Posted: 12/30/2007 6:42 AM
(Edited: 1/7/2008 11:44 PM)
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DK64_MASTER
Joined: 10/24/2005
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I always loved The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I think I recommended it before in a previous thread. For the adventurous, I say you should try out House of Leaves, as this is probably one of the most interestingly formatted books I have ever read. Upthorn "recommended" it to me. Also, people have called me crazy, but I love The Silmarillion even more than Lord of the Rings. The battles are frequent, epic, and grandiose. Too bad the book is more like a collection of notes, and would have been quite a read if it was completed as Tolkien wanted it to be. These books are probably defined as mainstream, but very few people I know have read them.
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Posted: 12/30/2007 2:48 PM
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theenglishman
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They're weird enough.
My current project: Something mysterious (oooooh!) My username is all lower-case letters. Please get it right :(
Posted: 12/31/2007 3:37 PM
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mr_roberts_z
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Does Umberto Eco count?
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Posted: 1/6/2008 3:18 AM
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VirtualAlex
Joined: 5/31/2004
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"Flatland," it's really strange, and very interesting. Steven Hawkings "A Brief History of Time" is a great book that explains many high level theories in an understandable way (Understandable to like, regular people)
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Posted: 1/6/2008 9:47 AM
Post subject: Hidden gems
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Aqfaq
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Nice thread, there are some interesting titles here that I'll definitely check out when I have the opportunity. I would like to recommend comics by Marc-Antoine Mathieu. It takes only a few minutes to read them through once, but I have spent hours with them, because the stories are so interestingly constructed. Write the name down for your next visit in library and remember to thank me afterwards.
Posted: 1/7/2008 1:10 AM
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BigBoct
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The Blue Nowhere by Jeffery Deaver. One of the best non-sci-fi books I've read.
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