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Single MUST READ Book Recommendation
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what's one book that you'd consider a "must read" that is probably off the radar for most of us?
i don't have a lot of time to commit to reading so i read one book per month. religiously. what should i read this month?
just to give you an idea of my literary taste, here's my recent monthly reads;
March; Watership Down (Adams)
February; Survivor (Palahniuk)
January; 10 Billion Days and 100 Billion Nights (Mitsuse)
December; Cat's Cradle (Vonnegut)
i'm thinking of maybe some non-fiction this month... Sex at Dawn? Guns, Germs and Steel?
for the rest of you, my single book must read is Jitterbug Perfume (Robbins).erleichda -
OP, if your single must-read recommendation is Jitterbug Perfume, why is your avatar from Still Life with Woodpecker? ;-)I must create a system or be enslaved by another man's. -W. Blake
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The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen (Among other things, one of the most interesting depictions of what living with Alzheimer's would be like).
Perennial Philosophy by Aldous Huxley (Need I say more?)
Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind by V.S. Ramachandran (Psychology, neuroscience, and human nature).
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I'll go ahead and second The Corrections. I've read twenty five books so far this year and that might be my favorite of the lot.
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lairdhenn said:
I'll go ahead and second The Corrections. I've read twenty five books so far this year and that might be my favorite of the lot.
Amazing book right? Found it in a bargain bin at a bookstore- whoever put it in there is an idiot. -
Nosmo_king said:lairdhenn said:
I'll go ahead and second The Corrections. I've read twenty five books so far this year and that might be my favorite of the lot.
Amazing book right? Found it in a bargain bin at a bookstore- whoever put it in there is an idiot.
I've read the last 20 pages of that book probably 10 times...just beautifully heartbreaking.
I must create a system or be enslaved by another man's. -W. Blake -
@fnord hehe...Tommy boy is def my favorite writer of all time...although if I had to pick a favorite, I would go with Cowgirls. It was the first one I read and I guess you never forget your first love.I must create a system or be enslaved by another man's. -W. Blake
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Godel, Escher, and Bach
It ties computer science, biology, math, art, literature and more to present a rigorous definition to consciousness and intelligence. The book is so deeply layered that the way he composes the chapters--even down to the words--is done in such a way as to illustrate the content. -
The World Without Us by Alan Weisman.
It's nonfiction about what would happen to the natural and built environment if humans suddenly disappeared. A really great thought experiment with these beautiful descriptions of cities slowly sliding back into nature. A hippy apocalypse. -
very good recommendations. Until Tantric Quest arrives I'll read Sam Harris' Free Will.
it is fun to get ideas for lesser known reads that similar minds enjoy. i've added a lot of the other books to my queue (which is now about 30 books deep).
@JohnPawn Tom is the fuckin man, eh? i have a wall in my hallway filled with Tom Rob quotes in cheap plastic frames. If any of you haven't read his stuff, I think everyone here should at least give one of his books a shot. But to be honest John, Cowgirls was my least favorite! Well, 2nd next to B is for Beer (what the fuck was that all about?)erleichda -
@fnord haha...that's pretty funny that my favorite is your least favorite! How can we both love a writer so much, but be completely on different sides of which of his books we like? My least favorite would be Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas...that being said I am rereading right now...I like it, but it just doesn't blow my mind the way the others do. I think B is for Beer was just kind of a fun experiment...I don't really put it in the same category with the rest of his books.I must create a system or be enslaved by another man's. -W. Blake
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RE: Robbins. Jitterbug Perfume was the first one I read and I read it at like the perfect time based on other things that I was reading so I think it has a special place that makes it one of if not my fav. However after reading them all I think I like 'Fierce Invalids' and 'Even Cowgirls' about as much as it.
I don't think I could have a single must read book so hard. Ummm maybe 'Illuminatus Trilogy' since it is so dense/deep/funny and I can re-read it easily and get new things out of it. -
amongst the prophets of the DTFH community, i would venture to say Robbins and RAW are in the same league as Terence McKenna. yes? they should be. along with Emperor Norton of course.erleichda
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I believe Robbins and McKenna were pretty good friends.I must create a system or be enslaved by another man's. -W. Blake
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I don't know how close, but they were definitely pals. RAW was also pals on some level with both of them. McKenna has referenced things that RAW told him in some of his talks. Robbins has talked about RAW before and has a blurb that appears on some of his books. Something about "most thrilling loop de-loops and mind twists..." or something like that that I can't recall off the top of my head!
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Journey to the End of the Night by Louis-Ferdinand Céline......comparable to the tropic of cancer, but much better in my opinion......he was charles bukowski's favorite writer
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The Crying of Lot 49It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.
-Frederick Douglass
If you're going to do something, do it well, and leave something witchy.
-Charles Manson -
the character Marcel Lefever in Jitterbug Perfume was loosely based off of Terence McKenna. sort of the mad scientist. Tom Robbins has said so himself.
also, RAW had many "meetings of the best minds" at his pad in Santa Cruz (or was it Capitola?) and the McKenna brothers were frequent guests. Robbins was there several times as well.
oh, to be a fly on that wall!erleichda -
Tantric Quest is great!
'Words of my Perfect Teacher' is a book that you can work with for the rest of your life. -
sitar said:
Tantric Quest is great!
'Words of my Perfect Teacher' is a book that you can work with for the rest of your life.
can't wait to read it! it should be here soon. i need something soon to wash off the poison residue that infested my brain upon reading Sam Harris' Free Will.
can you give me the short synopsis of "Words of my Perfect Teacher"?
erleichda -
How about House of Leaves by Danielewski?
This tomb of a book took a year for me to read (in small doses) but its experimentation on narrative structure fits so well with the story told. It is one of the most frightening things I have ever consumed and the book is rife with humanity and our struggles.
http://amzn.com/0375703764 -
Mein Kampf- Adolf Hitler.
In my time- Dick Cheney.
I jest. Being a simple creature these books most touched me........ The celestine prophecy - James Redfield (i think) Mohamid Ali - float like a butterfly and Ekhart Tolle - The Power of now, but in terms of a fun read i loved Russel Brand - Bookie Wook 2.
I'm also about fo embark on a read of a book i found on my grandfathers book shelf called "The projection of the astral Self" writen in 1929 but im a bit scared....... -
sixart said:
How about House of Leaves by Danielewski?
This tomb of a book took a year for me to read (in small doses) but its experimentation on narrative structure fits so well with the story told. It is one of the most frightening things I have ever consumed and the book is rife with humanity and our struggles.
http://amzn.com/0375703764
The Black Hole of that house is a great analogy for the black hole of every man made pursuit, from quantum physics, to Big Foot, THERE IS NO END.
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Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates
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"Buddha's Little Finger," by Victor Pelevin. <-- that book
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I think we should read T.A.Z.: The Temporary Autonomous Zone by Hakim Bay.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1460901770/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
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lalajobo said:
Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates
interesting choice.
Robbins is my favorite author... but i like at least four of his books better.
my suggestion was Jitterbug Perfume.Post edited by fnord at 2012-04-24 15:14:44erleichda -
imseriousascancer said:
I'm also about fo embark on a read of a book i found on my grandfathers book shelf called "The projection of the astral Self" writen in 1929 but im a bit scared.......
@imseriousascancer far out! can you tell me about that author/publisher/info etc.? that was during the depression(had to look it up, but i knew roughly). not that that should have any impact on the book, but maybe. who knows? (did you ever see carnivale? talk about spooky) your grandfather mighta been/still is a psychonaut. ever ask him about it? i'd like to try and find something like that (i'm a total beginner on a.p. but it's on my list of things to get to), why should the year spook me out, i don't know but it does, a little. let me know if you get into it.
my recommendation has been the same since i read it 3+ years ago, i've been ranting and raving about it, including on this site: it's non-fiction scientific but written for the layperson, by a woman no less (meaning that she writes with passion), who as far as i know has stayed immersed in the subject....all interpersonal/unspoken/subconscious/ubiquitous-force-of-nature-including-the-ancients/interactions-between-people/what-do-you-know-about-the-zero-point-field-son?, etc.
The Field - Lynne McTaggart
(criticism from !w): "The Field has been characterized by Mark Henderson of The Times as pseudoscience, focusing on her personal understanding of quantum physics as a misconception.[11]"
(praise from at least my friend who gave it to me during life-defining recovery) i say: yeah, maybe, but that doesn't change the studies and experiments included therein. this book was a serious game changer for me. here's a review by who appear to be science-sympathizers (like me).
Post edited by jdirt2019 at 2012-04-26 00:54:30we're totally fucked, and that's ok, because you gotta go somehow; let us #collapse in style! BOOKS:http://bit.ly/ZQSFyT -
I know its not really under the radar ot anything but Jurassic Park and The Lost World are seriously two of the best books I have ever read.Here we all feel alive, Here we use our minds, Let us form together, Use our minds, Recreate, redesign Here forever
With a new world in our hands We will gain control -
H. P. Lovecraft - Dreams in the Witchhouse is an amazing short story, really fucked with my brain for days after finishing it. There are many a Lovecraft story people should read, that dude was so crazy he made even the most cuddly thing seem fucked up and scary."Y'all white bitches are a buncha honky mahfahs fo' teasin' ma nigga cunt wit yo lobsta meat"
http://twitter.com/LCCNyhus -
plumk said:
The World Without Us by Alan Weisman.
It's nonfiction about what would happen to the natural and built environment if humans suddenly disappeared. A really great thought experiment with these beautiful descriptions of cities slowly sliding back into nature. A hippy apocalypse.
There's actually a speculative fiction book on this very topic called Earth Abides, written way back in the 50's I believe, absolutely brilliant.
I don't know if you'd call it under the radar, but:
Master and Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov
It's entertaining, it's funny, it's psychedelic, it subverts expectations and is one of the best books ever written."Ultimately, nothing in this life is “commonplace,” nothing is “in between.” The threads that join your every act, your every thought, are infinite. All paths of mastery eventually merge." - George Leonard -
Love without Conditions Paul Ferrini
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I can't recommend Jack London's Martin Eden highly enough. I've always liked London's working class intellectualism. This one's about a fist fighting sailor that tries to win a high society girl by rigorous self education and dedication to writing.
It'll inspire you to read more and better books. -
The Corrections is AMAZING! I need to read Freedom.
I would say World War Z is a must read. -
far out! can you tell me about that author/publisher/info etc.? that was during the depression(had to look it up, but i knew roughly). not that that should have any impact on the book, but maybe. who knows? (did you ever see carnivale? talk about spooky) your grandfather mighta been/still is a psychonaut. ever ask him about it? i'd like to try and find something like that (i'm a total beginner on a.p. but it's on my list of things to get to), why should the year spook me out, i don't know but it does, a little. let me know if you get into it.
Hey man sorry for the ridiculous slow reply! The AP book is by Sylvan J Muldoon and Hereward Carrington and I still haven't started it yet as got caught up finishing Ram Dass Be here now, which is awesome! I know my grandparents experimented a lot and were members of a spiritualist church for a while but my grandfather is in his late 80's now and doesn't say much to anyone and to be honest never really has, I also picked up a meditation book from his shelf about 10 years ago and asked about it and he just said "yeah that was something me and your nan were into once upon a time" then he walked out the room!! -
I cant recommend Gun germs and steel its interesting but not a great read.
I would recommend Glue by Irvine Welsh same guy who wrote trainspotting. iI'm almost done with it now and I have to say its a very difficult read, a lot of Scottish slang. But its a great read, lulls you into a feeling that its just a quaint little story. Then smacks you in the face. more than once i was like WTF did that just happen. -
Brothers Karamazov. There are aslo some great podcasts on itunes U in the Exisitentialsim in Literature and Film series done by UC Berkley. If you have the time and are interested the book accompanied with the lectures is a really cool experiencePost edited by Deans at 2012-05-11 17:10:00
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Shogun by James clavel
Post edited by Joulmaster at 2012-05-13 01:27:39“Your belief in God is merely an escape from your monotonous, stupid and cruel life” -
@fnord Free Will looks pretty cool... I dig Sam Harris and am interested in the idea of underlying motivations & such (some of which get addressed in The Field, above), but i'm a bit hesitant in view of the lowest reviews. I don't want to hurry you (it takes me usually a year to read three books at once) but i beg you to give a review whenever you hammer it out, sometime here in the next decade...unless it looks like you already finished it and i didn't thoroughly review the thread before opening my mouth.
Sort of paralleling the themes Mr. Harris appears to have confronted, i (proudly?) finished the audiobook of Blink, narrated by the author (he's got an engaging voice, talking about the book here). You might dig that one too if you find yourself with nothing to listen to.we're totally fucked, and that's ok, because you gotta go somehow; let us #collapse in style! BOOKS:http://bit.ly/ZQSFyT -
@jdirt2019 there is a thread specifically for Harris' Free Will where I am sort of an asshole about how much I disliked it. I need to stop it with the harsh judgements about other people's work...
http://duncantrussell.com/forum/discussion/1171/sam-harris-on-free-will-are-you-deciding-to-read-this-right-now/p1
it is such a quick read that i would say it's worth your time to digest his view, since it is such a popular one.
i just finished Tantric Quest which was wonderful. Thank you, ladychef.
now i'm reading Christopher Moore's new one, Sacre Bleu.erleichda -
@fnord thanks for that... and apparently, on this board as of yet at least, those are the only two books i've ever read/am recommending. EDIT, correct my prose, cause i want to protect the best parts of the english language, though i'd love to see it go and be replaced by something with more punctuation.Post edited by jdirt2019 at 2012-05-17 23:32:53we're totally fucked, and that's ok, because you gotta go somehow; let us #collapse in style! BOOKS:http://bit.ly/ZQSFyT
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@Malaclypse all hail Eris! RAW seems to be someone we all know. I'm thrilled to be a part of this community! HUZZAH HUZZAH HUZZAH! That being said, a student of his that should be checked out is Grant Morrison. The Invisibles is the greatest series of graphic novels I've ever read. It'll be expensive to get all seven volumes (for me it was around 90 bucks on amazon) but the journey is amazing and well worth it. I've re-read it many times. also check out his magickal speech at disinfo con: . . . That being said, one of my favorite books of all time is one of very basic spiritual and physical growth. It's a penny on amazon (but with shipping will run you four green energy strips) and is worth a million thoughts. Peter Camenzind by Hermann Hesse. I've bought and given away this book more than any others. Read it, enjoy it, and pass it on to someone you love. Love yourself as all others and all others as yourself. 1221 (to be discussed later).I have seen the fnords
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Where did the Towers Go? By Dr. Judy Wood. This is the best presentation of evidence I have ever seen on the topic of 9-11. The conclusions she comes to, and I believe one has to come to, is nothing short of world changing.
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I just finished Jitterbug Perfume, in the middle of Carl Sagan's The Varities of Scientific Experience and love them both, thank you for the suggestions!
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