Book Recommendations (given or sought)

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

I realized we don't necessarily have a place to tell everyone how great something is or ask if anyone would/could recommend something.

I was reading the wonderful RASL Volume 2: The Fire Of St. George last night and thinking that I really need to pick up a Tesla biography. This morning, I walked by some co-workers who were talking about alternating v. direct current and Edison's smear campaign. Synchronicity always gives me pause.
Can anyone recommend any one of these book over the others?
Tesla: Man Out of Time
My Inventions: The Autobiography of Nikola Tesla
Tesla, Master of Lightning
Wizard: The Life and Times of Nikola Tesla : Biography of a Genius
Empires of Light: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Electrify the World

[Dave Alluisi, Evolution of the Arm]

Reading Soldiers' Pay has rekindled my love for Southern Gothic and my desire to explore it further. Anyone got some good stuff to recommend? I've read much of Faulkner's and Tennessee Williams' stuff, and am working my way through McCullers. Aware of O'Connor, haven't read her yet (waiting for Jason to pick her for the podcast). What else would everyone recommend?

Note: I kinda have a super-soft spot for sleaze. The more the better! ;)

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

I really want to read more O'Connor (even re-read Wise Blood...which to me was like David Lynch & Will Oldham had a beautiful, terrible baby).
Dave, I loved Outer Dark. Have you read that one yet? It's bleak as s$&t, but sooo good. I guess it's more 'apocalyptic biblical hillbilly allegory,' but...
The other one that pops in mind is Other Voices, Other Rooms; every time you said "Southern Gothic" on the show last week, I vividly recalled some scenes from that.

[Luke]

I can't comment on any of your posts for reading recommends.

I find Tesla pretty intresting myself though, if you try any of the mentioned books and they are good, drop a bell here.

Have you seen Chris Nolan's, The Prestige Matt? Tesla makes a cool appearance in that movie.

I been struggling to find something to grab me lately. Started Starship troopers, but couldn't get into it so shelved it, tried the second book in the George Smiley trilogy the honorable school boy, but wasn't really in the mood it. Now i'm re-reading American gods.

Anyone recommend anything different? Maybe i should just waid into my too read pile.

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

No, to be honest, I didn't know Nolan made that movie. I'll check it out from the library.
What are a few titles in your to-read pile? I'm never short on opinions or advice. :)

[Dave Alluisi, Evolution of the Arm]

Haven't gotten to Outer Dark yet, but I want to. I read All the Pretty Horses recently and loved it, so I'm slowly getting into McCarthy. I think the one thing I was turned off by in Blood Meridian was that it kinda lacked a sense of humor. All the Pretty Horses has a wicked sense of humor.

Capote's a good call, too. I'm firmly in the Wild at Heart/Baby Doll camp, myself. Maybe even throw in a little Mudhoney.

[Luke]

All my to reads are on my to read shelf

http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/...

McCarthy leaves me pretty cold. I didn't mind the Road, but for a short book, it took me a while to get through. Blood Meridian I couldn't get through. I dunno if it was his writing style or just that book, man it was a struggle. If it wasn't for wiki i don't think I would even even known what was going on in it. It's like there just walking directionless through the desert.

[Dave Alluisi, Evolution of the Arm]

When I was home over Thanksgiving, my dad gave me a book by one of his favorite authors, James Lee Burke. Burke is a mystery writer, but a fun one; he does grimy crime stories set in lower-class New Orleans that have many of the trappings I love about Southern Gothic. So, I've been enjoying that book.

The only problem I'm having is that the book is part of a series. To date, there are about 18 books (!) in this series, and the one my dad gave me is #11. To an extent, you can pick it up and read it and get everything that's going on... the recurring characters fill out through context clues, and all the information you need to understand the plot is presented on the page. However (and I know a lot of folks here are as big of continuity nerds as I am), I can't help but feel like I'm missing the deeper impact of certain beats, and that, as I flip pages, I'm being presented with characters to whom I have no attachment (though it feels like I should).

It's given me pause... I kinda want to go back and read the first 10 books in the series before continuing with the 11th. This may be as good a place as any to discuss this impulse... it's kinda like with TV shows. You can watch any given episode of most TV shows and get what's happening fairly quickly and easily, but there are always ongoing character arcs and recurring themes that you feel like you're missing if you don't start at the beginning. And I'm the sort of person who is driven BATTY by that feeling.

Anyone not have that issue? I'd love another perspective on this.

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

I wish I could give you another perspective on this, but we're in the same boat. I read and enjoyed the first Fletch quite a bit. I was troubled when I found that Fletch Won is 8th in the series, but takes place before the events of the 1st book. Then I have decide whether to experience the series in publishing chronology like a reader would at the time or...
Geekdom can be a hard row to hoe.

[Dave Alluisi, Evolution of the Arm]

Ha! I guess I'm not that bad off, at least... usually publishing order is fine for me. Although, I've been known to go the other route, too... with Vidal's American History series, say (which books follow a chronology fairly divergent from their publication order).

I guess it's all a matter of degree, in the end... I didn't do any research on this Burke novel before I started reading, but I can just feel certain information missing from the page. Not plot information so much as character histories and the reasons why certain plot developments might have a great impact on particular characters. For instance, a bomb gets dropped about the narrator's mother within the first 30 pages that, had I history with the character, would probably have made my eyes pop out of my skull; since I don't (and am in fact still trying to get a handle on the guy), I was forced to shrug it off.

I guess that, for me, a lot of this comes from the fact that I find plot to generally be the least interesting aspect of any story I'm reading (odd as that sounds). There are about 10, 15 basic plots that get used over and over... the interesting thing to me is seeing how particular characters respond within them. I think that's what I feel I'm missing... I like the characters I've met so far, I just don't feel like I know them the way I'm supposed to just yet. It's a bit distracting.

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

Yeah, I simply COULDN'T read the 11th book in a series. We were eating dinner one night (before I read the first book) and a gal sitting next to us finished Fletch's Moxie while she ate. As she was leaving, I asked her if the series was any good. She said she "yeah, they're pretty entertaining" and gave me her copy. It's been on my bookshelf for a year. You know why at this point, right?

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

Lukeh wrote: "All my to reads are on my to read shelf"
Honestly, I've never read any of those books (or authors, for that matter). To further remove me from a position of being suitable to recommend a book, Cormac McCarthy is probably my favorite living author and
Blood Meridian is probably my favorite of his works.
Maybe someone else can recommend one.
(view spoiler)[
Although, I will say that if I were picking one of those for me it would be The Man Who Was Thursday or House of Leaves, but those almost seem like anti-recommendations, all things considered! :) (hide spoiler)]

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

Lukeh wrote: "Blood Meridian I couldn't get through...It's like there just walking directionless through the desert."

More like walking straight to Hell, which was its own kind of challenge to get through. I enjoyed it the same way I'd enjoy eating a delicious donut laced with agonizing poison.

My girlfriend LOVED The City & The City, so from your list, I guess I'd recommend giving that a shot.

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

My dad asked for crime/mystery books for Christmas, so I'm going to snag your dad's recommendation for my own, Dave. That will be very helpful in narrowing my search.

And yeah, I'll try to find the first one (or first few) for him. ;) I'm not sure how much jumping in the middle would bug my dad, but it sure as heck would bug me.

[Jen]

Dave wrote: "The only problem I'm having is that the book is part of a series. To date, there are about 18 books (!) in this series, and the one my dad gave me is #11. To an extent, you can pick it up and read it and get everything that's going on... the recurring characters fill out through context clues, and all the information you need to understand the plot is presented on the page. However (and I know a lot of folks here are as big of continuity nerds as I am), I can't help but feel like I'm missing the deeper impact of certain beats, and that, as I flip pages, I'm being presented with characters to whom I have no attachment (though it feels like I should)."

I can't believe Dave didn't talk to his WIFE, the resident mystery junkie in our house, about this! (I didn't even know his dad gave him a book over Thanksgiving...) Anyway, this is definitely a common issue with mystery series in my experience. This summer, I read a book from a series I'd never heard of before to review it for our state book festival. It was book #5 in the series. I enjoyed it very much, but there were definitely nuances I missed because I hadn't read 1-4. You can almost always pick up any mystery book in a series, even a bad series, and read the book for the plot with no problem. But if you are more interested in character, you have to start at the beginning of the series. All serial mystery authors I've ever read do considerable character development along the way.

[Dave Alluisi, Evolution of the Arm]

Jason wrote: "My dad asked for crime/mystery books for Christmas, so I'm going to snag your dad's recommendation for my own, Dave. That will be very helpful in narrowing my search."

One warning: far as I can tell, the early books in the Robicheaux series supposedly don't live up to the later stuff (Sandman/Fables syndrome). So if you or your dad reads the first book of the series and it's underwhelming, that may be why. I can safely say that I'm enjoying the 11th book, even for all that I'm missing, and want to go back and read it all from the start.

Jen wrote: "I can't believe Dave didn't talk to his WIFE, the resident mystery junkie in our house, about this! (I didn't even know his dad gave him a book over Thanksgiving...) Anyway, this is definitely a common issue with mystery series in my experience. This summer, I read a book from a series I'd never heard of before to review it for our state book festival. It was book #5 in the series. I enjoyed it very much, but there were definitely nuances I missed because I hadn't read 1-4. You can almost always pick up any mystery book in a series, even a bad series, and read the book for the plot with no problem. But if you are more interested in character, you have to start at the beginning of the series. All serial mystery authors I've ever read do considerable character development along the way."

I've talked with you about this sort of stuff before. Besides, you're part of the group! Discuss. ;)

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

Jen wrote: "But if you are more interested in character, you have to start at the beginning of the series. All serial mystery authors I've ever read do considerable character development along the way."

For me, character is king. I watched every episode (and there were plenty of clunkers) of Kolchak: The Night Stalker because I LOVE Darren McGavin's Carl. I love that the "mystery" in The Big Lebowski isn't really even a mystery, just an excuse for those wonderful characters to fulfill traditional detective roles and interact with L.A. I guess the actual plot is usually the least important part of the story with that kind of stuff, for me .

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

SOME 2011 BOOK RECS:
http://www.largeheartedboy.com/blog/a...

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

I'll be getting this for my Kindle soon: A Bad Idea I'm About to Do: True Tales of Seriously Poor Judgment and Stunningly Awkward Adventure
I heard the title story on the This American Life episode called "Nemeses" and loved it.
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio...

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

A SHOT IN THE DARK:
Can anyone who's interested in history and ancient civilization recommend a book on Greco-Roman mystery cults? There are a handful that look promising on Amazon, but there's the inevitable savage review from a colleague or frustrated amateur who tears it apart for some niggling thing. I've got the geek paralysis.

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

Can anyone recommend a good biographical book about Rasputin and the Romanovs? I know very little about about Russian history, so this would have to include lots of contextual info. Hope someone history person can help. Jeppe, I'm looking at you.

[Robert]

Off the top of my pointy-head, the best I can recall is Petrograd

I have heard decent things about the graphic novel, and if you're a fan of Tyler Crook (Sixth Gun, The DAmned) well then you are definitely in for a visual treat.

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

Thanks, Rob! I wasn't thinking of comics, but this sounds good, too. Added!

[Jeppe]

Matt wrote: "Can anyone recommend a good biographical book about Rasputin and the Romanovs? I know very little about about Russian history, so this would have to include lots of contextual info. Hope someone hi..."

I'm honestly hard pressed to come up with a good recommendation specifically on Rasputin, simply because so much of what has been written seems overly sensationalistic and speculative. If you're up for a less-than-stellar translated work, I've heard okay things about
The Rasputin File.

Honestly, though, I'd recommend that you start with Robert K. Massie's Nicholas and Alexandra instead. It focuses mostly on the Romanovs, but does devote space to Rasputin as well, and it is more grounded in historical research than most of the Rasputin books I'm familiar with (while still being a popular and well-written history).

[Dave Alluisi, Evolution of the Arm]

If you have a Kindle, there are 14 Kurt Vonnegut books available on Amazon today (11/24) for $1.99 each. The books are:

Welcome to the Monkey House
God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater
Bluebeard
Galapagos
Deadeye Dick
Jailbird
Mother Night
Player Piano
Slapstick
Timequake
Bagombo Snuff Box
Fates Worse Than Death
Hocus Pocus
Palm Sunday

I haven't read any Vonnegut since high school, and the only one of these I've read is Galapagos. Think I'll pick one of these up. Any Vonnegut fans got a recommendation as to my best bet?

[Jeppe]

I'm really not very well versed in Vonnegut, but of the books on that list I liked Bluebeard (a fictional biography that is less fantastical than many other Vonnegut books) and Welcome to the Monkey House (short story collection).

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

Bagombo Snuff Box is also a short story collection.

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

Welcome to the Monkey House
Jailbird
Player Piano

I also love Timequake. It's a very meta book that arose from a book he abandoned. It's very much from the perspective of the end of life, but was playful and bitter-sweet. A bit in the end even made me tear up a little.

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

Read about the dystopian book California that Colbert suggested (novel unread) folks buy through Powell's to give a middle finger to Amazon for screwing him and other Hachette authors over: http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/07/0...
I was investigating a bit and was considering buying the book until I read a review on Amazon that gave some samples of dodgy writing in it. The reviewer said people are comparing it to The Road (which, after having read some excerpts, pissed me off) but they said it reminded them of an amateurish J.G. Ballard. Now I want to read some. Anyone recommend a good intro work for this author?

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

I watched The Face of Another and really enjoyed it. I know the source was a novel by Kōbō Abe. Has anyone read any of his work? I would love some recommendations from someone who knows his work.