Book thread

[Joe Shit]

Just bought some of the books listed on Jesse Ventura's library.War is a racket.The New Pearl Harbor.Dead Wrong,The Secret Team,JFK & The Unspeakable.Wanted to buy Where did the towers go,but Amazon wanted a lot of money for it.here's the link to his blog.

Jesse’s Library | Off the Grid

[Gregor]

Just bought some of the books listed on Jesse Ventura's library.War is a racket.The New Pearl Harbor.Dead Wrong,The Secret Team,JFK & The Unspeakable.Wanted to buy Where did the towers go,but Amazon wanted a lot of money for it.here's the link to his blog.

Jesse’s Library | Off the Grid

I loved Jesse Ventura in Predator :)

I just read N0S482 by Joe Hill looking for a fix after Locke and Key and I enjoyed it , though not as much as I wanted to. His ideas are awesome and creepy but the book was a bit jumbled and boring at times. Plus theres a car which runs its self in it , has he been reading too much of his dads books ? Or did he get his dad's feedback and he told "Its good son , but needs moar creepy car action"

[HaydenRose]

For young adult dystopia, the Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness is cool and isn't a Hunger Games ripoff. Also "Graceling" by Kristin Cashore, which is more fantasy/romance.

Graceling is incredible. Actually I think the Katsa/Po romance is one of my top top top book romances ever. Whenever I'm stuck writing romance-y scenes in my own writing, I'll pull up Graceling and sift through it to get inspired or to capture those feels.

[Mark Bee]

In the last couple of weeks I've found myself beginning to look into graphic novels. I haven't read comics in more than 20 years, but a friend pointed me to a great one on Gettysburg. Does anyone have any recommendations for a neophyte comic reader?

[Mark Bee]

Hey Mark, check out a series called DMZ:

DMZ (comics) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Also, the NEW-ish HULK is fucking awesome, check out:

Planet Hulk Planet Hulk - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

and

World War Hulk World War Hulk - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

They are available as trades.

As far as books lately, I'm reading Wear Your Dreams, which is mostly stuff I've heard or read elsewhere, but is still awesome and I'm also reading American Apocalypse by Nova. I like reading two books at a time, but I rarely have free time except for right before I crash.

Awesome! Thank you for the suggestions. I just picked up DMZ.

[Mark Bee]

I've only heard good things about that Gettysburg comic, but I haven't picked it up yet.

I was impressed. It told the story well, the art was compelling, and (speaking as a US historian) the history was pretty good, given the limited space available to tell such a complex story. I'll be reading more.

[Graeme]

In the last couple of weeks I've found myself beginning to look into graphic novels. I haven't read comics in more than 20 years, but a friend pointed me to a great one on Gettysburg. Does anyone have any recommendations for a neophyte comic reader?

Are you into more historically-oriented graphic novels? Art Spiegelman's Maus is an absolute must. Joe Sacco is great and his books on Palestine and Bosnia (Safe Area Gorazde and The Fixer) are both excellent. I really enjoyed Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis which is about the Iranian Revolution. These should all be fairly easy to find too.

I'm currently reading The Black Star by Lin Carter:

I like going through used bookstores and buying books with good cover art, and you don't get any better art than a Frank Frazetta painted cover. The book itself is pretty run of the mill sword and sorcery but is enjoyable nevertheless. This is what a fantasy novel should look like, fuck those photoshopped bullshit covers.

[Mark Bee]

Are you into more historically-oriented graphic novels? Art Spiegelman's Maus is an absolute must. Joe Sacco is great and his books on Palestine and Bosnia (Safe Area Gorazde and The Fixer) are both excellent. I really enjoyed Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis which is about the Iranian Revolution. These should all be fairly easy to find too.

I'm currently reading The Black Star by Lin Carter:

I like going through used bookstores and buying books with good cover art, and you don't get any better art than a Frank Frazetta painted cover. The book itself is pretty run of the mill sword and sorcery but is enjoyable nevertheless.

Thanks @Graeme - I'll look into each of those. I've heard about Persepolis. I think Gomeshi did a segment on Q a while back. Looks really great.

[tatB]

I like going through used bookstores and buying books with good cover art...

Not sure if anyone has posted about these yet:

Penguin Ink - Penguin Classics - Because what you read matters. - Penguin Group (USA)

[RoryQ]

In the last couple of weeks I've found myself beginning to look into graphic novels. I haven't read comics in more than 20 years, but a friend pointed me to a great one on Gettysburg. Does anyone have any recommendations for a neophyte comic reader?

Scott McCloud's 'Understanding Comics' is a great meditation to the medium of comics / graphic novels / sequential art... In the form of a comic itself of course. Sounds boring, but it is funny, intelligent and provides a phenomenal insight into how the medium and it's users really work.

After that, some personal favourites:-

'Maus' by Art Spiegelman (already recommended!)

'The Sandman' written by Neil Gaiman

'The Walking Dead'

'Northmen'

I grew up reading '2000AD' so although they're dated now to some degree I loved some of the weirder shit that came out of that... Some 'Judge Dredd', 'Slaine', 'Rogue Trooper' etc.

[Mark Bee]

Scott McCloud's 'Understanding Comics' is a great meditation to the medium of comics / graphic novels / sequential art... In the form of a comic itself of course. Sounds boring, but it is funny, intelligent and provides a phenomenal insight into how the medium and it's users really work.

After that, some personal favourites:-

'Maus' by Art Spiegelman (already recommended!)

'The Sandman' written by Neil Gaiman

'The Walking Dead'

'Northmen'

I grew up reading '2000AD' so although they're dated now to some degree I loved some of the weirder shit that came out of that... Some 'Judge Dredd', 'Slaine', 'Rogue Trooper' etc.

Excellent and much appreciated. All on the list!

[Zillah]

In the last couple of weeks I've found myself beginning to look into graphic novels. I haven't read comics in more than 20 years, but a friend pointed me to a great one on Gettysburg. Does anyone have any recommendations for a neophyte comic reader?

I totally recommend:

- Sandman, Persepolis and Maus (as already suggested)

- 'Fun Home' by Alison Bechdel

- Anything by Jason, 'Hey...Wait' is a good one

- The 'Fables' series

- The Mouse Guard series by David Petersen

- 'American Born Chinese' by Gene Luen Yang

- 'Shortcomings' by Adrian Tomine

- 'Clyde Fans' by Seth

- 'Ice House' by David Clowes

- 'The Cleaners' by Mark Wheaton

My partner suggests 'Y: The Last Man' and 'Saga' by Brian K Vaughan.

[Mark Bee]

I totally recommend:

- Sandman, Persepolis and Maus (as already suggested)

- 'Fun Home' by Alison Bechdel

- Anything by Jason, 'Hey...Wait' is a good one

- The 'Fables' series

- The Mouse Guard series by David Petersen

- 'American Born Chinese' by Gene Luen Yang

- 'Shortcomings' by Adrian Tomine

- 'Clyde Fans' by Seth

- 'Ice House' by David Clowes

- 'The Cleaners' by Mark Wheaton

My partner suggests 'Y: The Last Man' and 'Saga' by Brian K Vaughan.

Excellent! Thanks to you and your partner of for the suggestions.

[polliwog]

Ooh, I would like to also suggest the Preacher series and "Air" by G. Willow Wilson. And Lynda Barry's Marlys and Freddie stories, which are published as approachable little books. The latter totally blew my mind recently. Lynda Barry is one of my all-time favorite humans.

The Best American Graphic Novels thing that comes out every year offers a taste of many graphic novels, some of them pretty great.

Have fun! You're making me want to read more comic books :)

[RoryQ]

'From Hell' was heavily recommended to me, and I bought the big paperback compendium.

Really sombre, simple black and white illustration and impressive research into the history of the period. There's a whole deep freemasonry plot thread: He weaves in all kind of stuff, including Hawksmoor's architecture and its secret language.

A bit highbrow (for me, anyway) and slow in parts at times though.

[Mark Bee]

Reading DMZ Vol.1 right now. Awfully good!

[MadeIndelible]

Not so much a book, but I just found Richard Prince's work through a Tumblr post of one of his photographs. Reading a few of them before I fall asleep. Pretty surreal.

[RoryQ]

I bought a weird book that was recommended to me by Robert Bly. It's called 'Iron John'.

He appears to be a Jungian and folklorist who has written this book about masculinity, and how fairy-tales are basically heavy duty wisdom handed down from our pre-writing ancestors. I'm not totally sure I buy into the whole thing, but it's interesting so far. I feel like it's the kind of book I would have appreciated more during my college days.

[CultExciter]

I've been craving books on World History lately. Definitely more in the macro realm that shows how certain events changed cultures etc. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[OutOfIdeas]

Try a series by ken Follett, the century trilogy. Books one and two are about ww1 and 2 respectively, the third I dont believe is out yet. They are fiction, but written around real events. They each follow through the time periods through the perspective of several people, on all sides of the war, running concurrently.

I enjoy Ken Follett, and history, so I really liked these books.

[Breakme]

I'm revisiting Wizards First Rule by Terry Goodkind. First read it about 15 or so years ago. The writing is a bit more simplistic than what I have been reading lately, but am enjoying it nonetheless.

[misterJ]

Just finished ready player one. I am sad it's a one and done.

Buddy is getting me into Christopher Moore as a light read.

[tatB]

about halfway through Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings. slow start but i'm really into it now.

[Graeme]

@BrianH I've heard a lot of good things about that book, I'll have to add it to my lists of books I should read.

[HaydenRose]

Finally working through the last few Vampire Chronicles books by Anne Rice now that I finished the Mayfair Witches and could read Merrick (finished that 2 weeks ago, was a little slow going but a great read).

I finished the last book of a guilty pleasure YA trilogy (Can't remember the first two, but the last is 'Ruin and Rising').

Now I'm going to blast through the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris. My mind needs a break this summer before starting my master's program in the fall. I think these books are great but only because I've seen all of True Blood. If someone were to read them without all the fleshed out characters and Louisiana accents, I think they would feel dull and childish. But with all of that visual content packed in my head, they are so much fun to read. Especially to have Sookie's narrative through everything. I think she is one of my favorite literary/TV characters of all time.