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mvassilev
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Undefeatable Hero
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posted May 07, 2009 01:34 AM |
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Reading List
I recently had to recommend some books for junior-high students and high school students to read (if you want to see my lists, ask). In the process, I have noticed that despite professing to be a person of culture, I am lacking in many areas of literature - there are many excellent books that I have not read. This flaw I shall attempt to rectify. Thus, I welcome your suggestions for my reading list. Currently, it stands (in no particular order):
Nonfiction:
Human Action - Ludwig von Mises
Man, Economy, and the State - Murray Rothbard
Price Theory - David Friedman
Evolutionary Socialism - Eduard Bernstein
Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal - Ayn Rand
The Virtue of Selfishness - Ayn Rand
The Road to Serfdom - Friedrich Hayek
The Economics of Discrimination - Gary Becker
The Economic Approach to Human Behavior - Gary Becker
The State and Revolution - Vladimir Lenin
Free to Choose - Milton and Rose Friedman
Utilitarianism - John Stuart Mill
The Language of Morals - R. M. Hare
Guns, Germs, and Steel - Jared Diamond
The Glory and the Dream - William Manchester
The Blind Watchmaker - Richard Dawkins
Rise and Fall of the Third Reich - William Shirer
The Guns of August - Barbara Tuchman
Creation Revisited - Peter Atkins
A Random Walk Down Wall Street - Burton Malkiel
The Blank Slate - Steven Pinker
Fiction:
The Catcher in the Rye - J. D. Salinger
Anthem - Ayn Rand
The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
The Sword of Truth series - Terry Goodkind
Discworld series - Terry Pratchett
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series - Douglas Adams
East of Eden - John Steinbeck
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert Heinlein
Starship Troopers - Robert Heinlein
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
Lord of the Flies - William Golding
Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut
Romance of the Three Kingdoms - Luo Guanzhong
Watership Down - Richard Adams
Animal Farm - George Orwell
Guns of the South - Harry Turtledove
Hyperion - Dan Simmons
More suggestions?
(Crossed out books are those I have now read.)
____________
Eccentric Opinion
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Corribus 
Hero of Order
The Abyss Staring Back at You
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posted May 07, 2009 01:48 AM |
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Well, here are two right off the top of my head, one from each category:
Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond (nonfiction).
East of Eden by Steinbeck (fiction)
I could recommend a number of nonfiction history books too if you're interested in that sort of thing.
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I'm sick of following my dreams. I'm just going to ask them where they're goin', and hook up with them later. -Mitch Hedberg
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mvassilev
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Undefeatable Hero
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posted May 07, 2009 02:00 AM |
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friendofgunnar
Honorable
Legendary Hero
able to speed up time
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posted May 07, 2009 02:11 AM |
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SwampLord
Supreme Hero
Lord of the Swamp
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posted May 07, 2009 02:18 AM |
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If you're looking for World War Two history, Day of Battle by Rick Atkinson is a fantastic account of the Italian theater. I've heard only stellar things about his previous work, An Army At Dawn, as well.
I also highly recommend A Bridge Too Far by Cornelius Ryan, I believe.
If you haven't read Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein, I can't recommend it enough. A great sci-fi story with more than a decent amount of moral thinking and questions as well.
Ender's Game is great too.
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They can take my swamp, they can take my town, but they will never take my FREEDOM!
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mvassilev
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
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posted May 07, 2009 02:28 AM |
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/facepalm @ self
I completely forgot about Robert Heinlein.
But is Ender's Game really that good? It's popular literature.
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Eccentric Opinion
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TheDeath
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
with serious business
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posted May 07, 2009 02:54 AM |
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What are you into? (what types I mean)
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The above post is subject to SIRIOUSness.
No jokes were harmed during the making of this signature.
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mvassilev
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Undefeatable Hero
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posted May 07, 2009 02:59 AM |
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Recently, I compiled such a list (this one is for fiction):
1. Consistent plot – no blatant plot holes.
2. Character development – characters learn as the plot moves along.
3. Message – some kind of practical or moral teaching is conveyed.
4. Correct message – a message advocating peace, progress, rationality, and/or voluntary exchange. (Note: this is for fiction. I am willing to read non-fiction that disagrees.)
5. High quality of writing – good use of diction, syntax, and figurative language.
6. Interesting plot – plot that attracts the reader and keeps him or her interested.
7. No excessive description – no long paragraphs about how dark and wretched the jungles are (as in "Heart of Darkness"), how hard it is to stand up as an insect ("Metamorphosis"), or what clothes everyone is wearing (multiple offenders).
8. Continuing relevance – the work of literature will continue to remain relevant as time passes.
9. Inventiveness – the work is original, not a rehash of old stories.
10. Coherence – the written content proceeds from Point A to Point B in a relatively comprehensible way.
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Eccentric Opinion
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Corribus
Hero of Order
The Abyss Staring Back at You
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posted May 07, 2009 03:33 AM |
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Quote:
But is Steinbeck really any good?
East of Eden was one of the best novels I ever read. I'll just put it at that.
Here are a few of my other favorites off the top of my head.
More Nonfiction:
Blind Watchmaker (Richard Dawkins - nonfiction)
Rise and Fall of the 3rd Reich (Shirer)
Guns of August (Barbara Tuchman)
Creation Revisited (Peter Atkins) - if you can find it.
None Died in Vain, George Washington's War and Delivered from Evil (Robert Leckie - very approachable, well written, almost novelish accounts of major American war)s
More Fiction:
Lolita - (Nabokov)
I, Claudius (Graves)
In Cold Blood (Capote)
Lord of the Flies (Golding)
Heart of Darkness (Conrad)
Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Some Chinese dude)
1984 (Orwell)
Brave New World (Huxley)
anything by Vonnegut
Aztec (or Raptor or the Journeyer by Gary Jennings - ok, not "classic" but still probably some of the best books I ever read, sadly mostly out of print)
Alright, I'll stop now. 
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I'm sick of following my dreams. I'm just going to ask them where they're goin', and hook up with them later. -Mitch Hedberg
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mvassilev
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
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posted May 07, 2009 03:36 AM |
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Quote:
Heart of Darkness (Conrad)
I read it.
No. No. Never. The horror! One of the worst books of all time, IMO.
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Eccentric Opinion
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Corribus
Hero of Order
The Abyss Staring Back at You
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posted May 07, 2009 03:41 AM |
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Seriously, though, you should read Guns Germs and Steel - it'd be right up your alley. Economics, anthropology, sociology - it's got everything in it.
Regarding Conrad - I liked his short story the Outpost of Progress better than Heart of Darkness. Pretty much the same message in about 1/10 the amount of pages. Hell, I based a HOMM map off it.
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I'm sick of following my dreams. I'm just going to ask them where they're goin', and hook up with them later. -Mitch Hedberg
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mvassilev
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
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posted May 07, 2009 03:45 AM |
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Also, Lolita? The book about Doomforge?
But I read In Cold Blood. It's good.
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Eccentric Opinion
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Corribus
Hero of Order
The Abyss Staring Back at You
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posted May 07, 2009 03:54 AM |
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You wouldn't think it possible, but Nabokov wrote some of the most beautiful prose in the English language.
Ok, here are three more "classics" and then that's it.
--> The Good Earth (Nobel Winner - Pearl Buck)
--> Once and Future King (White)
And how could I forget!
--> Watership Down!
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I'm sick of following my dreams. I'm just going to ask them where they're goin', and hook up with them later. -Mitch Hedberg
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Binabik
Responsible
Legendary Hero
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posted May 07, 2009 05:44 AM |
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Edited by Binabik at 05:48, 07 May 2009.
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Why does everyone make such a big deal out of Lord of the Flies? It was stupid. The characters were wholly unrealistic, or maybe exaggerated to the extreme, even to the point of absurdity, is a better way to state it. And any so-called message about the human condition was nothing more than (over)stating the obvious. *yawns*
Watership Downs was only slightly better as far as the story. Awwwwww, cute little bunnies! And the message? Same as the above.
Ditto with Animal Farm. *yawns*
Admittedly, I think the above books would typically be read by younger people and I didn't read them until well into adulthood, so maybe they lost something because of that...hence the "stating the obvious". If you want a simple message, just watch Shrek, it's better.
Hmmmm
James Clavel
Start with Shogun and move on to his others if you like that. King Rat is nothing special as far as the book itself, but is interesting if you want some semi-autobiographical background on the author himself. It's about his real life captivity by the Japanese during WW2.
All of his books fall into the historical novel category. Although I've never been quite sure just what the definition of historical novel is. I consider it to be fiction with varying degrees of historical content, whether it's setting, characters, the story itself, whatever.
I like the Charles Dickens classics Tale of Two Cities and David Copperfield. Some people consider Bleak House as his best, but I couldn't even make it through that book.
Have seen the movie and would love to read the book: A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean. Deep. The metaphor is superb.
With your interest in economics, try the Peter Lynch books. Although oversimplified and made to look far easier than it really is, his books are still a good insight into stock valuation with some very good humor thrown in. Start with One Up on Wall Street.
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phoenixreborn
Promising
Legendary Hero
Unicorn
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posted May 07, 2009 06:00 AM |
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These are all books specifically recommended for high school students?
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mvassilev
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
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posted May 07, 2009 06:13 AM |
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Binabik:
I looked up Peter Lynch. Doesn't really appeal to me - but he did remind me of another related book: A Random Walk Down Wall Street.
PR:
No, they're just books for me to read.
Corribus:
Have you ever heard of "The Blank Slate" by Steven Pinker?
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Eccentric Opinion
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Lexxan
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Unimpressed by your logic
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posted May 07, 2009 08:43 AM |
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1984 is one evil novel...
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Coincidence? I think not!!!!
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Doomforge
Admirable
Undefeatable Hero
Retired Hero
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posted May 07, 2009 09:48 AM |
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Quote:
You wouldn't think it possible, but Nabokov wrote some of the most beautiful prose in the English language.
Totally agree. And it wasn't even has native language. "Lolita" is excellent. And it's a book about taboo stuff - I love these.
"Brave New World" is a great book too, short but VERY disturbing; I recommend it to everyone who hasn't read it yet: DO IT.
"Lord of the Flies" is also something; The rise of tyranny and barbism explained on the example of kids; Very interesting lecture.
Quote:
Also, Lolita? The book about Doomforge?
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We reached to the stars and everything is now ours
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del_diablo
Legendary Hero
Manifest
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posted May 07, 2009 11:47 AM |
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I would reccomend a books by Murakami Haruki(last name, first name), i kind of liked em.
I think the books might have lost a little of the good writing during translations, but their really good.
Some of his books are:
*Kafka on the Shore
*Dance dance dance
*Norwegian Wood
*Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World
*After Dark
*After the Quake: Stories
If you se one of them in your local libary, i would highly suggest to read them.
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baklava
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Mostly harmless
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posted May 07, 2009 12:49 PM |
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Have you tried Boris Akunin's "Adventures of Erast Fandorin" series?
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"Let me tell you what the blues
is. When you ain't got no
money,
you got the blues."
Howlin Wolf
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