Official Book Thread

**ooo** · 05-10-2019, 09:05 PM

woooooo °-°

**Subteigh** · 05-10-2019, 10:48 PM

**Subteigh** · 05-12-2019, 02:03 AM

I have a list of all the books that at least 5 of my Goodreads friends have rated 5 stars, although I think that is likely to be less generally interesting or useful to others. But I decided to make a list of the top 500 books they consider most underrated, determined by the inverse score of the Number of Goodreads ratings for a book divided by the number of my Goodreads friends who have rated the book 5 stars.

Again: The GR Book ID is the unique number on Goodreads for each book (that is helpful for identifying books seeing as I haven't bothered to include the names of authors (because that would be inordinately time-consuming)), and the % 1984 column is simply how each book compares to 1984 by George Orwell in terms of frequency. I thought people might find it useful as a way of deciding which books to read next.

**Nunki** · 05-12-2019, 03:24 AM

I am reading a collection of short stories by that master of literature Vladimir Nabokov. Admittedly, I've been reading it off and on for months now, but that's only because I'm so busy all the time. Were it not for that, I'd have finished it as quickly as my sleep cycle and natural reading speed would allow.

**Subteigh** · 05-12-2019, 07:11 AM

Also, a list of 890 underrated books that at least 5 of my Goodreads friends have rated at least 4 stars. I was going to go with 1000, but that resulted in a post above the 100000 characters limit.

**FreelancePoliceman** · 05-12-2019, 09:51 AM

Originally Posted by Subteigh

On Love by Alain de Botton.

Oh god, please don't suggest him to anyone.

**Subteigh** · 05-15-2019, 06:43 PM

Goodreads: Basil of Baker Street

Goodreads: Virginia Wolf

**ashlesha** · 06-05-2019, 08:53 PM

Right now im verrrrry slowly reading Room to Dream, an (auto)biography by Kristine McKenna and David Lynch about David's life. And Head Strong by Amy Hodge, about her experience with brain cancer cuz I happened to meet her irl and she seemed normal but talked to me about how the damage in her brain caused her to do things like shoes before socks which made me feel less alone and more hopeful <3 So far it's Caring Bridge entries and not exactly a barrel of excitement but I'm into it for obvious reasons.

I'll update you in 20 years.

**ContractedCriminalboy** · 06-13-2019, 12:28 AM

Just finished reading My Best Friends Exorcism, Battlefield Earth, and Crime and Punishment. First book I'd give a 4/5 with it being this sort of 80s throw back high school mild horror story with a lot of comedy as well. The ending made me cry real baby tears, absolutely loved that ending. Not uncommon to get teary eyed at bittersweet endings but really had some tears streaming I'll tell ya.

Battlefield Earth a surprising 5/5. first off the movie is absolutely horse shit, don't watch it, don't even acknowledge its existence, it's so shit I couldn't make it past 20 minutes and unfortunately has tainted the image of such an amazing novel. But the novel itself is a really great action adventure sci fi story with a lot of pulp fiction undertones but not pulp itself. Protagonist a bit of a Gary Stu admittedly but not an offensive one, exact opposite actually, can't help but emphasize and cheer him on all the way through.

Crime and Punishment 5/5, just absolutely legendary, might consider my third favorite fictional so far, with one being the Odyssey, two being Lolita, and four being Runaway Horses. Love just how accurately this book paints the phenomena of ethics and overts and justice so well and seeing all this play out. Protagonist such a quintessential toxic ILI though could see my old angsty teenage self in him often.

Books I'm currently reading are A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking, The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene, What Is Mathematics by Richard Courant, and Seven Brief Lessons On Physics by Carlo Rovelli

As you can see I've gotten into quite the physics craze which is unusual since I used to hate the subject but was watching videos by Tibees on YouTube and Michio Kaku and random channels I don't recall names of at this moment have awaken physics as a brand new interest of mine. I didn't get a Michio book though since I watched so many of his videos that I didn't want any redundancy but will once I finish a few current reads and gonna tackled Feynman's Lectures online as well: http://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu

**FreelancePoliceman** · 06-13-2019, 03:43 AM

I finished The Master and Margarita a couple weeks ago, after @Chrysalis ‘ recommendation. It’s now one of my favorite books.

**jason_m** · 06-25-2019, 09:08 PM

Books I am currently reading:

- Hallucinations - Oliver Sacks: clever book discussing various case studies of people having hallucinations
- The Big Think Book - Peter Cave: clever book that delves into philosophy through various paradoxes
- No Bullsh*t Guide to Math & Physics - Ivan Savov: a refresher on introductory math and physics; covers the basics, cuts right to the chase about mechanics, calculus, etc.
- The Emperor's New Mind - Roger Penrose: a sometimes long-winded and perhaps difficult book that goes through the thickets of math, physics, and neuroscience to explain why hard AI is not feasible; while the trip might be difficult, it is nonetheless worthwhile.
- The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball - Tango, Lichtman, Dolphin: a book basically on baseball analytics, and how to strategize in baseball using various data, statistics, etc.
- The Feynman Lectures - Richard Feynman: what can I say? "Lectures on physics from its most brilliant teacher"...

**lemontrees** · 06-25-2019, 09:27 PM

I downloaded an illegal ebook of Mark Rothko's life as told by his son... only to realize I downloaded an ebook of his paintings, small scale and black and white. FML.

**miss BabyDoll** · 07-09-2019, 12:38 PM

an inbetween "wish and read" mix:

- Shylock's Ewes and Rams: Economics and Morality by E. Michael Jones and John Beaumont
- Jewish Revolutionary Spirit by E.Michael Jones
- The Slaughter of Cities: Urban Renewal As Ethnic Cleansing by E. Michael Jones
- Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in Our Time by Carroll Quigley
- Defending the Faith: An Anti-Modernist Anthology by W. H. Marshner
- The Art of Dying Well by st. Robert Bellarmine

**ashlesha** · 07-24-2019, 06:04 PM

I finished the David Lynch autobiography but ended up skimming cuz it was about the details of his films and the producers and funding involved etc. It happened to mention stuff like his affair with Isabella rossellini and that would have been up my alley if more of a focus.

I just grabbed The Club Dumas off the shelf since it's a fictional murder mystery and looks like an easy read and that's what I'm feeling (even if it's described on the back cover as "an intellectual mystery." Guess it has something to do with the famous sei)

**ashlesha** · 08-02-2019, 01:34 PM

Just finished The Club Dumas and eh. Lots of book details. In order to keep track of the mystery it's like how does this book connect to that book and who wants a certain book and why, and I don't give a shit, but maybe I just lack patience. Also a bunch of stuff about centuries old novel plots and how to tell if an old book was faked and so on. If you're into that kind of thing. Some people are. Not me.

Just took a couple Khalil Gibran books off the shelf (self-portrait and the broken wings)

**Aster** · 08-02-2019, 02:59 PM

I read Graceling by Kristin Cashore because it kept popping up in my recommended books on GR and I freaking hated that book. I kept picturing the MC like Susan from adventure time. I found myself googling the author so I could get a sense of someone who would write this crap lol

Then I read Once Broken Faith which is book 10 in the October Daye series. Thinking about staring on book 11. They make me happy.

I have A Room of Ones Own by Virginia Woolf right now, but idk if I want to go there just yet. I like to sprinkle in something more serious from time to time

You all read such studious books and here I am with my urban fantasy lol

oh well

**FreelancePoliceman** · 08-02-2019, 03:02 PM

Originally Posted by aster

I read Graceling by Kristin Cashore because it kept popping up in my recommended books on GR and I freaking hated that book. I kept picturing the MC like Susan from adventure time. I found myself googling the author so I could get a sense of someone who would write this crap lol

Then I read Once Broken Faith which is book 10 in the October Daye series. Thinking about staring on book 11. They make me happy.

I have A Room of Ones Own by Virginia Woolf right now, but idk if I want to go there just yet. I like to sprinkle in something more serious from time to time

You all read such studious books and here I am with my urban fantasy lol

oh well

When I was like 13, I promised a friend of mine I'd read the Graceling series. I never did, and felt kind of guilty about it. It just seemed bad.

**ashlesha** · 08-07-2019, 12:07 AM

Reading The Broken Wings, I realized my attitude towards Khalil Gibran has changed. I still like him, but I used to think he had some special connection to the universe that gave his text divine wisdom, and now I just think he's good at making things sound important and pretty.

I still plan on reading Self Portrait as well, but my bf stopped at the bookstore and after scrounging, I'm gonna take a quick detour to read this book he got for laughs: Broetry. Here's the front cover.

**ashlesha** · 08-08-2019, 12:30 PM

I learned in the forward to Self Portrait that Gibran was a student of Rodin for a few years and I wanna share cuz they're a couple of my faves and that's cool as hell.

**Aster** · 08-09-2019, 03:34 PM

Currently reading Uprooted by Naomi Novik. So far I like it.

**ashlesha** · 08-09-2019, 09:06 PM

Finished Self-Portrait, a book of Khalil Gibrans letters. Similar to that David Lynch book I would have preferred more personal stuff and less professional stuff, but it was Gibran doing all the writing to others and even in his professional correspondence he's personable and poetic. I liked it.

Next up is Barbara Kingsolvers The Poisonwood Bible.

**Aster** · 08-09-2019, 10:06 PM

Originally Posted by ashlesha

Next up is Barbara Kingsolvers The Poisonwood Bible.

I really like that one. I felt like it left a lasting impression on me. Have you read anything by her before? I read The Lacuna also and liked that one as well, but nothing else so far. I’d like to try more of her books.

**ashlesha** · 08-09-2019, 10:23 PM

Originally Posted by aster

I really like that one. I felt like it left a lasting impression on me. Have you read anything by her before? I read The Lacuna also and liked that one as well, but nothing else so far. I’d like to try more of her books.

Yeah, I read The Bean Trees and a I think a couple others and I really liked her as an author, which is why I bought this one even though the plot didn't really sing to me. I still expect to like it.

**ashlesha** · 08-29-2019, 11:58 AM

I finished the poisonwood bible and I liked it even though it didn't really strike me or anything.. some paragraphs were impactful and some lines were like poetry. Interesting reading from an American about how Africa is misunderstood while knowing that I must understand another American best.

Today I'm about to start "keeping the brain alive" written by neurologists about "neurobics" which from a quick glance look like tasks like brushing your teeth with the wrong hand and if it's written by neurologists it must be legit but I hope it's more than Facebook meme ideas. We'll see.

**ashlesha** · 08-30-2019, 02:18 PM

Jeez, I'm taking over this thread. Reading like a mofo, that's good, right? I ended up skimming through that brain book. It's all about using the 5 senses to take in info in novel ways and right now with my medical condition, typing on a keyboard or standing on one leg feel "novel" so I guess my brain is working out hardcore. Hopefully it comes in handy later. Especially since I'm gonna age early and be extra prone to alzheimers and dementia, isn't life great? So good to have, and apparently rolling down your car windows is good for your noggin, so hey. (:

This morning I started "the unbearable lightness of being." I haven't seen the movie, is it good? I like the prose and writing style so far. Or at least that of the translator lol.

**flames** · 09-10-2019, 07:04 AM

Gonna do a book review since this is a book thread and there’s a movie review thread but no book review thread (go figure). I recently read Habibi and this is by far the best graphic novel I’ve ever read. For starters the illustrations and book cover are absolutely beautiful; the drawings feel colorful and full of life despite the black and white ink - which I actually prefer as a stylistic choice. It’s nice to use your imagination to fill in the colors that aren’t immediately obvious. Secondly, the way Islam is portrayed is refreshing. I love the use of Arabic calligraphy and the Quran/Bible stories secondary to the plot and, as someone who isn’t religious, I never found it boring. The way it’s woven into the characters lives is also a nice touch. Speaking of, the two main characters journey and growth is captivating to watch.

Dodola is exposed to sex at a very young age, being 9 when she’s sold into marriage and being taken as a salve soon after. Her experiences with sex are nearly always uncomfortable, being raped numerous times, but she quickly learns to use her sexuality as an advantage - though she really has no choice but to. Zam is totally the opposite; right from the start when he discovers his sexuality he feels guilty for it. When he masturbates to the thought of Dodola he immediately shames himself and this also might have to do with seeing her raped in front of his eyes at a tender age. I’ll get more into that part of him later.

Another thing I really liked was how it showed the evils of pollution and capitalism and juxtaposed old with modern. The city of Wanatolia is a sleek metropolis compared to the harsh desert and the backwards slums located elsewhere. Wanatolia saps the resources from the people outside to keep itself running. When you first start the book it seems like it takes place in an ancient time but there’s hints of modernity with the motorcycle at the start and views of trashed cars throughout. But the book is not without problems - it’s full of orientalist stereotypes. The way Arab men are portrayed isn’t exactly positive. The author says it’s a portrayal of men in general but we never see the black men engage in this behavior and we don’t really see white men period. The only white man I recall was racist though so I guess that’s not positive either. The women are basically breathing sex dolls. But it is a good look at corruption in the world that you would find more in place with the ‘ancient’ world you’re first greeted with. Slavery is abundant outside the walls of Wanatolia and even inside in the harem - a traditional palace that seems out of place beside all the skyscrapers. Racism still exists in the modern society and, interestingly, it seems like most of the people in the city are white.

And besides the two main characters everyone else is one dimensional and mostly stereotypes. Back to Zam - his castration left me uneasy because I knew from the start it was a bad idea. He wasn’t born a woman in a man’s body, he just wanted to fit in with the group to get fed. But it did seem like he wanted to get rid of his penis because of the shame around his sexuality, too. It was also nice to see transgender representation especially when it happens when you still think you’re in an old time period. We see him paralyzed when he’s lying with the transgirl, again repressing his sexuality. Later on these feelings turn into pure despair and self hatred for what he chose to do, upset that he can’t provide Dodola with a child when they reunite and fall in love. I also liked how it showed every shade of love through them - from sibling/paternal to romantic.

I think when Dodola suggests having a kid it seems like a good idea to her, but I’m sure she still has some trauma from ignoring her first child in favor of opium and then him being murdered when she finally begins her motherly duties. As you can guess, it’s a dark book but there’s sprinkles of humor too. Dwarf farts are a highlight. Anyways, that’s all I can remember after thinking about this for hours.

Overall, I give it a 9/10.

**ashlesha** · 09-10-2019, 11:56 AM

I finished the unbearable lightness of being. The prose was so good he made marriage issues and old European politics interesting. Lots of over generalizing with a philosophical bent, and I'm all about that shit, especially mixed into fiction.

Next up, for those of you on the edge of your seats: the cider house rules. Another movie I haven't seen. I vaguely remember the orphans in bed in the commercials but nothing about the plot.

**Aster** · 09-28-2019, 10:35 PM

I checked out two Stephen King books. The Outsider and Pet Semetary. Trying to decide which one I want to read right now. I’m feeling indecisive.

**ashlesha** · 10-07-2019, 11:25 AM

@aster did you pick one? I like Stephen king.

I finished the cider house rules. I didn't find it personally striking or poignant but it was a solid read that I mostly enjoyed as a way to pass the time. 6.5 out of 10

I'm about to start the diving bell and the butterfly. Borrowed from boyfriend on his recommendation. He told me how the book was written by the guy blinking his eyes while paralyzed, which I found depressing, as well as motivational lol. I guess if you can't move, you'll put all your passion and effort to things in your head, so I'm guessing it'll be good.

**Tallmo** · 10-07-2019, 01:36 PM

I used to read Stephen King a long time ago when I was learning English. Pet Semetary and some other book about some guy who traveled across America in another dimension.

I remember there's something really disturbing about his stories. He really gets under my skin. It is fascinating and unpleasant at the same time.

**ashlesha** · 10-09-2019, 11:46 AM

I really liked the diving bell and the butterfly. It felt like reading the diary of a friend (even though it didn't go into diary style topics lol. But he'd talk about rude and nice nurses and stuff and it's like, most people aren't uber familiar. Not that I can relate to him. Locked in syndrome is probably the worst fate I can think of.)

The next to grab on my shelf was the art of war. About to learn how to claim the south pole for the ashlesha household. Here we go.

**Tonatiuh** · 10-09-2019, 03:05 PM

The last month I've finished re-reading the entirety of Stephen King's magnum opus, The Dark tower series. Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange, then I started re-reading David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest, before I thought better of it and decided to re-read Haruki Murakami's Kafka on the Shore. About 1/8th through it at the point of writing this.

**Aster** · 10-09-2019, 03:08 PM

Originally Posted by ashlesha

@aster did you pick one? I like Stephen king.

Not yet. But I’m leaning towards Pet Semetary because it’s a paperback and more portable. I need to start soon. But I’ve been binge watching Game of Thrones instead lol. I like him, too. I’ve liked all the books I’ve read of his so far.

**ashlesha** · 10-11-2019, 04:51 PM

The art of war so far is like ni advising se imo.
Study the subject to know where to pounce at the correct time, analyze things before jumping into them, stuff like that.
That said, I'm bored and putting it aside to write about it. I heard about it in the context of how it could be read as general philosophy and it can be interpreted that way, yeah, but eh, even so far as it can be taken as metaphor or generalized advice I'm like, "okay, this is common sense, but I'm not hearing how to like, actually apply it.."
In a way it's like, "have ni, k thanks"

**ashlesha** · 10-13-2019, 07:21 PM

Starting the awakening of intelligence by jiddu krishnamurti.
Excited about this one yay but not enough to read it now instead of putting it in the bag for the bus lol...
In part because it's in the format of individual interviews and stuff so hot shit for a short attention span.

**ashlesha** · 10-30-2019, 12:33 PM

I finished that krishnamurti bullshit and cuz I can't bring myself to ditch a book after investing too much, the last of it was half assed. I already complained to my bf about more detailed aspects (more comprehensively than he cared to hear, I'm sure) but in short, he was unnecessarily rude to his interlopers (to convey his superiority, I think) and arrogant about the unclear and contradictory (read: so complex!) nature of his message.

I just started the armchair mystic, which is a how-to for contemplative prayer, and I don't expect to get to the point reached for in the book but I wanna feel some communion or *something* when I pray, and not like im pointlessly talking to myself, so this is a start. So far, it's breezy and written for laymen, easy to grasp, and it's short, so.. cool.

**Christian Bale** · 11-02-2019, 02:28 AM

**ashlesha** · 11-06-2019, 05:08 PM

I feel less interested in making posts here now cuz I don't need to kick myself to read right now yay. So I'll stop until further notice. Anyway, next.

**Coeruleum Blue** · 11-09-2019, 06:18 AM

Is anyone else pre-ordering Perhaps the Stars by Ada Palmer?

**Kalinoche buenanoche** · 11-15-2019, 05:46 PM

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