Good book?

[Dutty]

Sudden urge to read a book, any ideas on a good intellectual one?

EDIT by Dutty: delete, wrong sub-forum

 

[FusionKnight]

Fiction:
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Phillip K. Dick
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
Earthlight by Arthur C. Clarke
The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkein

Non-fiction:
Goedel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard Feynman
Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems by Galileo Galilei

 

[Dutty]

Thanks FusionKnight.
I'm going to order GEB by Douglas Hofstadter

 

[Jesin]

I'm going to order GEB by Douglas Hofstadter

Yesss!

*punches the air in triumph*

 

[Dutty]

Just bought it, and read till the MU-Puzzle. I had a hard time putting the book down, but I want to try the puzzle and get some sleep for a busy Saturday

You both read GEB?

 

[Jesin]

Yes, I have recommended it strongly and repeatedly to everyone on the forum, and also some other people.

As far as fiction goes, DISCWORLD!!

 

[Vrecknidj]

It's a great book, but it's been since the year it was published since I've read it. I really enjoyed it.

Dave

 

[Kidege]

Hey Dutty, have you tried the Favorite book and the Recommend Classic Literature threads? They're at the top of the Literature subforum.

 

[Jesin]

I'm moving this thread to the Literature section.

Lor, if you want to do a thread merge, go ahead.

 

[Loraella]

Discworld is great fon fun indeed
Also all works by Tolkien of course; this fantasy world has been enchanting me already for 13 years.

And since my childhood I have been fascinated by the book What's the name of this book? by Raymond Smullyan. It's awesome, lots of logical puzzles and curiosities, written in an amusing style. I remember having read it over and over all the time; actually now I'm thinking I will get to it to enjoy it again after several years!

 

[figaro_black]

Discworld is great fun, especially since the story changes as you learn new things about the world. There are those who would say Pratchett is rather shallow, but it's amazing how much depth there really is to his stories once you start to see it. Though of course, my favourite book is Good Omens that he wrote with Neil Gaiman, it is such a wonderful critique on us humans.

As for truly intellectual books it depends on what kind of intellectual you are thinking off. There are of course stories like Candide and Brave New World that does not tax their readers that much in reading them but brings up lots of interesting questions. And books like Mrs Dalloway by Woolf, that do not allow your thoughts to drift or you will be lost. Then there's pure philosophy (Kant is always great fun to read) or the always as amusing linguistic theories of the world (Jean Aitchison for example wrote a wonderful book called Language Change: Progress or Decay?).

 

[aahzombies]

I've been reading This is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitin. Absolutely fantastic, but it will be an extremely difficult read if one does not have a background in music and/or psychology.

As for fiction, I would highly recommend the Monkeywrench series by P.J. Tracy. It is a mystery series dealing with a group of computer experts and is completely riveting.

 

[deckerWASandroid]

death in venice

beautiful book.

 

[JoeJoe]

Have I mentioned A Song of Ice and Fire yet?

The first book is A Game of Thrones.

 

[Weliddryn]

Good book. Know anything about Glen Cook or Robert Jordan?

 

[zxc]

I've been reading This is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitin. Absolutely fantastic, but it will be an extremely difficult read if one does not have a background in music and/or psychology.

Now that sounds interesting... Only a few days ago, I was searching all over the net for articles and research on the psychology and perception of music.

 

[chocolate]

the cave by jose saramago.

 

[BurnoutPriest]

Fiction:
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Phillip K. Dick
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
Earthlight by Arthur C. Clarke
The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkein

Non-fiction:
Goedel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard Feynman
Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems by Galileo Galilei

Have you heard of Douglas Hofstadter's other book? I am a Strange Loop looks really interesting.

 

[loveofreason]

Someone else recommended that as well.

I've put it on my must read list.

 

[Jesin]

I've been reading This is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession

So have I, actually. Good book.

 

[Paranoid Android]

Laszlo Krasznahorkai: Werckmeister Harmonies

This is a really interesting book though I haven't finished it yet. There's a movie based on the book, made by Bela Tarr.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YGdkxI0rU4

 

[kora]

100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez...Funny, mind-tripping, different and iconic, it's a comment on the nature of time and people. OR read Jean Paul Sartre Nausica, but it may make you feel like killing yourself (if so, I sincerely apologise) read it in French if you can as well, far better.

 

[Paranoid Android]

100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez...Funny, mind-tripping, different and iconic, it's a comment on the nature of time and people. OR read Jean Paul Sartre Nausica, but it may make you feel like killing yourself (if so, I sincerely apologise) read it in French if you can as well, far better.

Don't know why, but I get really nervous when I'm reading Marquez. Maybe it's because of my bad memories about Spain and anything connected to it.
Though I think I'll get Nausica, it seems to be interesting.

 

[kora]

excellent! enjoy, let me know what you think if you like a well

 

[Paranoid Android]

excellent! enjoy, let me know what you think if you like a well

Promise.

 

[Paranoid Android]

*Nausea/La Nausée

Oops.

 

[kora]

my bad

 

[Czech Yes or No]

Diplomacy by Henry Kissinger.

 

[cghhmnrtt]

I just bought The Dosadi Experiment, thinking that it was a standalone novel. Has anyone here read the ConSentiency series? Would it be worth the money to get all the books in the series, or should I just cut my loss of $1.50?