Happy St George's day

[liv]

I'm not really interested in celebrating a saint's day (not being Christian), nor in celebrating Englishness (not being that sort of patriot), nor in dragon-slaying (as I generally find myself on the side of the dragon). However, I kind of like the idea of the Catalan version where people give eachother books.

So I propose a game: comment and recommend me a book, and I'll rec you something in return. If I don't know anything about you, I'll suggest something that I really like, and which I generally find isn't well known. And I'll keep going until I find something new to you, if necessary. You can give me a hint of the sort of books you prefer if you want to, but it's not required; it might be a more fun game if I have to guess based on my judgement of your character.

I have a comprehensive list of everything I've read in the last seven years, in case you find it hard to know where to start, but you obviously don't have to read through all that.

Comments

[oursin]

In case you haven't already read it, Stella Gibbons, Cold Comfort Farm.

[jack]

It's St George's day? Oops :) I mean, it gets an awful rep because everyone is embarrassed to celebrate Englishness, so I've been vaguely meaning to promote Englishness as practised by genteel, open-minded people, and reclaim symbols of Englishness from racist thugs. After all, I don't care how fictional he was, slaying a dragon is a pretty cool way to be sainted! But this would sort of involve *noticing* when it is :)

Apparently, as your current romantic squeeze, I am especially supposed to give you books, but of course, since that is pretty much what we do all day, every day, it may be an uphill struggle to recommend anything I haven't already :)

Things I have read recently, that may be of interest:

* Cyberiad. Stanislaw Lem, a lot of really cute fairy-story-style short stories about two friend/rival robot inventors who invent all sorts of strange stuff, notably including (a) a machine that can make everything starting with the letter 'n'.

* The book of Nehemiah, which was surprisingly tense when they were rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem as fast as they could, all the while standing guard against imminent attack

* I think I mentioned it before, but George Martin's and others Wild Card series, which are like superheros in literature form. They're a bit inconsistent because there's lots of different authors, but some bits are really good.

[rmc28]

You don't have Elizabeth Bear in your list, so I am going to recommend her to you. Specifically, I am going to recommend her trilogy Hammered/Scardown/Worldwired which starts off as a gritty detective story set approx 50 years from now, with the political world order somewhat different. And then turns into space opera.

If you can't get hold of Hammered et al, then I also recommend Blood and Iron/Whiskey and Water which are two books which really play around with myth and fable and Faerie and Merlin all interacting with the modern world.

[kerrypolka]

Unless you read it when you were younger, The Ruby in the Smoke, by Philip Pullman.

[liv]

Ooh, indeed I haven't, though it's been on my radar for a while. I shall definitely bump it up in priority now.

What to rec you, hmm. I could choose something Victorian and feminist, but that would be too obvious and you'd probably have read it already. How about Jane Gardam's A long way from Verona?

[liv]

Yeah, I was trying to do something a bit like that, celebrate the day but in a non racist thug way.

And yes, you are definitely supposed to give me books (if you gave me a rose instead cos I'm a girl you would be in Trouble!) You're quite right, though, it's getting to the point where we've already recommended eachother everything that really urgently needs to be shared.

If you lend me Cyberiad next time it's convenient, I'd be very interested to read that! *hug* It's really one of those things I ought to have read already, I think. I am put off Nehemiah because it's one of those books that are half in Aramaic, and change language mid-sentence, so it would be a bit of a slog to read. But it's short, and if you think it's exciting maybe I should give it a go.

What should you read? I think it's time I rec'd some biology books; have you read Darwin's dangerous idea? That is Dennett's atheist magnum opus, and has some really good explanations for how you get consciousness by evolution, without needing to invoke an omnipotent creator. And very readable, for something that is dense with both biology and philosophy.

[liv]

Thank you. I was put off reading her stuff because she has a history of being a complete wanker on the internet, but a positive rec for her writing is enough to counterbalance that.

I think you might enjoy AS Byatt's Babel tower. It's one of my favourite books in the world, and is literary fiction written with a really SF mindset (sort of the anti Margaret Atwood, if you like). Caveats: it's actually the third in a quartet, though it stands alone really well, and I read it long before I even knew the others existed. And the main character is the mother of a boy a little bit older than Charles, which is interesting but has the potential to be upsetting as well.

[liv]

I read another book in that sequence, The tiger in the well. I agree it's a lot better than the Northern Lights stuff, but I found the really blatant ableism a bit much to swallow. I think it's partly meant to be giving a sense of period, but if you're trying to portray a period where unusual bodies were disgusting, freaky and evil, it's really hard to do that well. (The only writer who really gets away with that balance IMO is Tim Powers.)

I think you should read Jack Womack's Random acts of senseless violence, which in spite of having the worst title in the world is actually a really thoughtful, interesting book. It's sort of an SF version of the diary of Anne Frank.

[jack]

*hugs* Exactly

I bought Cyberiad from the internet -- it's on my pile of books you can ransack whenever you like :)

I am put off Nehemiah because it's one of those books that are half in Aramaic

:) I'm not yet a sophisticated enough reader to know or notice. (I obviously read it in English, indeed, in the questionable Good News Bible translation.)

Maybe "exciting" is too strong, it's more that I expected everything from Esther[1] to Malachi to be completely and utterly unreadable so I was very pleasantly surprised to have a reasonably interesting story at the book where I opened it.

After failing at Becky's quiz to recognise half of the books of the bible I made a concerted effort to at least read the list of the books IN the old testament, and can at least recite the first half in order, even if I can't do the minor prophets and so on.

I think it's time I rec'd some biology books;

Ooh, good idea. I think I probably started it once as a teenager but didn't read all of it, I'm not sure. I should certainly ACTUALLY read it. xx.

[1] Did I say? It does NOT mention spiderman. ANYWHERE.

[simont]

if you gave me a rose instead cos I'm a girl you would be in Trouble!

I was idly wondering earlier if there might be a profusion of copies of, say, The Name of the Rose given out in an effort to fulfill both versions of the tradition at once.

[falena]

Brilliant idea!

I'd recommend Ali Smith's Girl Meets Boy. The title might be slightly misleading, because it's totally not chick lit - not that there's anything wrong with that, it just doesn't seem your genre.

It's a modern-day retelling of the myth of Iphis and I just think it's beautifully written.

[lab]

The catalan version is awesome, I'll post photos in the next few days (though I have to mention that it's gendered: the boys give the girls roses, and in return, the girls are supposed to give the boys books -- I didn't have the impression that anyone sticks to it rigidly, me and my roommates gave each othre roses and everyone just buys a heap of books -- ^10% off and special offers!) --- everyone is on the street, the main streets are lined with stalls of flowers and books, books, books. Awesome! Finally a tradition I can get behind.


As for a rec: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms still is the best book I've read this year.

[liv]

I do read some chicklit, I'm in the middle of a Joanna Trollope at the moment. But you're right, it's the kind of genre where it has to be really good for me to get into it, not the kind where I automatically like most things that are not awful. Thank you for the rec, anyway.

Choosing something for you is going to be quite difficult, cos so far I don't get the impression our reading overlaps that much. Have you read Stendhal's La chartreuse de Parme (English title The Chapterhouse of Parma)? I suggest it because it's a French novel about Italy, and one I enjoyed very much, though it is very early nineteenth century. I liked it better than the more famous Le rouge et le noir, anyway.

[liv]

Yay, person with first-hand experience of San Jordi! My reading suggests it used to be gendered but isn't so much any more, everyone just buys a mix of roses and books according to taste. (By the way, did I miss where you explained why exactly you're in Barcelona at the moment, assuming it's not for some private reason I shouldn't be nosy about?)

Going by some of the incredibly wonderful and exciting books you've sent me, hmm. Have you read Salman Rushdie's less well known The ground beneath her feet? It's not as magic realist as Midnight's children, but it is somewhat so, and it's also a modern retelling of the Orpheus myth except recast in an Indian context. I like it very much indeed.

[liv]

OK, I wouldn't object to a rose-themed book, that would be quite clever. But a rose instead of a book, how disappointing and insulting would that be?

[falena]

I don't get the impression our reading overlaps that much

It's true, but that's actually one of the reasons why I enjoy your book reviews so much - they often got me reading books I would have never thought of picking up on my own.
For instance, one of the best discoveries of the past few years, for me, was Golden Witchbreed which I came across thanks to you!

I was not very much impressed with Le rouge et le noir, but I'll give La chartreuse de Parme a try, as I need to read more in French. Thanks!

[polarisnorth]

Hit me! I can give you tips if you want, since I don't think you know me very well.

[lab]

By the way, did I miss where you explained why exactly you're in Barcelona at the moment, assuming it's not for some private reason I shouldn't be nosy about?)

Nah, I'm here on a grant (and to get my spanish up to C2) and I'll relocated to Madrid in autumn to do a master in contemporary history while finishing my dissertation (diss due in 14 months, my MA will last for 2 years). Basically I realised that I didn't have any perspective in Austria, didn't want to relocate to Germany, so the choice was between England and Spain, and while I've only had good experiences with Leeds and the LSE, I wanted something --- I've never done before. (Also I realised that if I wouldn't do this - learning spanish, relocating - now, I wouldn't do it at all.) /tl:dr

Huh, I started the ground benath her feet before I went to Spain but didn't take it with me ... as I'm limiting myself to reading stuff in spanish right now, I'll look around for a translation!

[dpfesh]

The Stephen Lawhead Endless Knot series is one i've really enjoyed (both times reading through 'em). Modern day fellow falls into mystic land of Albion. Lots of adventures and sorta history + fictional history.

Also i saw you read (most of?) the Ender Series ~claps~ that was a good one! Stumbled over it a year or two ago and really enjoyed the world that was created.

Books! yay!

[vatine]

Perchance "The Mind's Eye"? Not, as such, fiction (although it has fiction-like essays in side). was initially going to recommend "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance", as a well-worth-reading book, but you read it already.

Alternatively, "The soul of a new machine" (sv. transl. "En dators födelse"), a documentary book describing the design and initial implementation of Data General's MV-8000 Eclipse series (Erm, I tink it's the MV-8000 at least, been a LONG while since I read it). Tracy Kidder is, I believe, the author.

Everything I've read (except Shadow Unit) in the last few years linked on my LJ, under a dedicated tag.

[rmc28]

Thank you. I have looked it up in the library catalogue and should be able to pick it up when I get home.

[forestofglory]

Hmm ... I recently read Door into Ocean, which has planet full of purple women with awesome eco-tech. You might like it.

Also if you happen to want books from the US, I would be happy to bring you some on my trip.

[holyschist]

I recommend Nalo Hopkinson's Midnight Robber, which is Caribbean SF that appears initially to be about a technological nanny state, but which is actually about something else (although it could be very triggering).

It's a really fascinating book, although I might recommend a different book of hers to start with if I had read any others yet. So maybe a general Nalo Hopkinson see-what-appeals recommendation.

[marina]

Ayan Hirsi Ali, "Infidel" (review here) is something pretty much anyone is guaranteed to love. On the I-don't-know-if-this-is-your-style-but-I-hope-it-is, I really, really enjoyed Karin Lowachee's "Warchild" recently and would recommend it.

[oursin]

I think I may have read it many years ago, but will check it out.