(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best classic literature & fiction books

No true fiasco ever began as a quest for mere adequacy

1. <3
   
   
2. Holla holla /u/purebredginger I heard you're pretty killa
   
   
3. Jake with a muppet!
   
   
4. Perfume by Elizabeth Taylor
   
   
5. The Detroit Jazz Festival, which is coming soon, is the biggest free jazz festival in the nation!
   
   
6. A Nutella MILKSHAKE
   
   
7. Hi hi hi
   
   
8. I just started coming here, but I already love it here. Everyone seems so nice and I would love to get to know more people.
   
   
9. This book, this world and everything about it.
   
   
10. Don't worry, the Detroit Lions will win the Super Bowl!
    
    
11. Here are some runnin' at you.
    
    
12. I really, really love Harry Potter. I'm rereading the series for the nth time right now!
    
    
13. Metallica live!
    
    
14. How about this pile of my old roommate's kittens!
    
    
15. Flowers at my sister's place
    
    
16. Holla holla /u/MMAphreak21 I think you're pretty cooooool
    
    
17. The ocean! and my feet.
    
    
18. Rotary blade
    
    
19. Hi hi hi /u/re_mix you're doing a great job! You're awesome! Keep it up! "Are you a DJ?"
    
    
20. It's in Florida which means it's where the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is which is where I spend my birthdays which is MY favorite place and favorite thing! But really, it's amazing.
    
    
21. The Rock and a cat!
    
    
22. "Everybody knows you never go full retard."
    
    
23. I posted it the other day, but here you go!:
    
    > My favorite birthday was my 21st because instead of going bar hopping like everyone recommended, my family and I went out to Florida to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We spent the entire day in Diagon Alley and enjoyed a feast there. We started to explore the castle, shops and rides, but the best part was Ollivander.
    >
    > We waited in line for what felt like hours. It probably felt that long because it was just hot. We finally get into the room, which fits about 20 people or so, and the actor absolutely nails it. They always pick someone from the crowd to have their wand choose their witch or wizard, and it's usually a little kid. He picks the first kid he sees in the crowd and does the skit. Adorable, cute skit with magic everywhere! We're heading out, but Ollivander noticed my sister. He asked if she needed anything, and she said, "No, I don't. However, it's my sister's birthday!"
    >
    > Ollivander did a fitting with just my family and me in the room. I told him I bought a wand already, but he told me what it was made of, its core and what it was best used for. Since he saw I was wearing some Slytherin colors, he assured me it can be used for "alternate forms of magic, good and evil."
    >
    > As of right now, nothing can beat that birthday.
    
    
24. Ice cream sandwich cake
    
    
25. Star!

I loved it when the XBOX came out, I would go to EB or Gamestop and pick up madden 98 or top gear rally 2 or 007 The World is Not Enough for $3 each for N64. The really good games were $10. I would normally walk out of the store having spent the $20 I saved from selling lemonade and cookies with 5-8 games, happy as can be. (In later years I would by chance stumble upon a $5 used copy of Conker's Bad Fur Day at a garage sale and realize that there is a God, and he is a gamer.)

Oh yeah and I played them on the N64 that was bundled with pokemon stadium for $130 from walmart that my sister and I split the cost of. I had never played the Game Boy versions because I couldnt afford them after buying a GBA. I only played the card game. But then I traded my Matt Hoffman's Pro BMX 2 (it's dumb because in order to unlock levels, you had to complete every single challenge, and one of the challenges on the third level was impossible) for a Kirby Nightmare in Dreamland game and it was awesome!

Unfortunately once [puberty] hit, I could no longer make rational decisions with my money. I wish my parents had made me put it all in savings. I spent $80 on a Gamecube after the XBOX came out and bought Metroid Prime for $30. At least I got Wind Waker though... it was the first Zelda I actually played all the way through (I was too young to finish Ocarina when I got it, and I couldn't start Majora's until I finished OOT) Then my parents got a Wii and I don't know what to do with my gamecube (I got one of the silver ones that could output HD). I don't want to smash it, but I don't have any use for it either. And I can't sell it for more than $5. I still use the controllers, but the lunchbox is just a mantle piece. Maybe I'll make a post asking what I should do with my gamecube so people can respond with links of things other people did with their gamecubes.

I remember when the popularity of the Gamecube was waning significantly and they released an adapter to let you play GBA games on it. Same time Wario Ware came out (I remember, I was a kid toy tester for FamilyFun magazine). Then that stupid e-Reader attachment for GBA that I bought for $40 because it was so cool that it could read NES games from cards. After the GBS SP came out they re-released a Link to the Past with a bonus game called four swords adventures. That game provided me with the best co-op I've ever experienced in a game. I would plug in by GBA to my friends' on the bus ride to school and we would solve puzzles together or race (ipwn@luigi). Before Wi-Fi.

Back when Backyard Sports were popular and Pablo Sanchez was first pick over Randy Johnson. When my parents were hesitant to allow me to play Lord of The Rings Two Towers on my Game Boy after having read the LOTR books with my dad (including the Silmarillion [the Hobbit cartoon movie remains to this day one of my top ten movies of all time]), building a robotic orc out of K'nex for my 4th grade book report, and getting the Full Screen Collector's Edition DVD Box Set. When the G4 Cube was being praised on TV and I was the only kid in my state to have an iPod 10GB. When I would get off the bus at my friend's house to play a few minutes of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City on his PS2 or Duck Hunt before I would have to go to hockey practice.

Back when D.A.R.E. was the best class because we actually learned about cool stuff in it (like ecstacy, raves [the cop told us people would dress up like pikachu and party all night long to trance. He told us how to spot good E from stuff that was mostly or all meth. Then he told us that we would get holes in our brains if we tried it just once. cool] and different forms of advertising [he never really talked about weed as far as I can remember]) and got to have a DARE party out on the soccer field with water balloon contests while singing along to "The Anthem" and "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" and discussing the irony of the latter song while the DJ told us to get in a conga line.

...Back when my dad bought the first quad core 64-bit computer for $3000 to be ahead of the curve and play Halo in 1080p online and never finish Myst 3 Exile, only to become obsolete within 2 years. I swear I was one of the best Halo PC players when I was 11. But I remember when I bought the original MacBook Pro 1.83GHz Core Duo (that I'm typing on right now) and played Halo a few nights a week with my dad online before he got consumed by work and depression.

Back when I had a in-school relationships, like the one with the cute girl from art class in 7th grade and would sneak out during library time to make out. When I won a pair of Jessica Simpson tickets in a raffle at my local supermarket to see her sing in front on the Foxtrot Mall in Massachusetts when she had one popular song because she was featured in NOW 5 alongside Aaron Carter, boybands soulDecision Backstreet Boys and N'SYNC, Britney and this < this is a very different song than the Wal*Mart version I got.

tl;dr: i bought used n64 games at gamestop for $3, then i reminisce about the early 2000's, including way too many links that took me hours to find. sorry for block of text.

> How much of a place do you think theory has in the composition of (I'm hesitant to use this term, but...) popular music? I've met very skilled and successful guitarists that could not, for the life of them, tell you what a "major pentatonic" was, but were very capable of playing in groups of people, improvising complex riffs, and composing great pieces of music.

I think that there are plenty of spectacular musicians who have no grasp of theory and the like (see: Jimi Hendrix), but there are plenty who have enhanced their music incredibly through its use (see: Muse, Radiohead). I don't think that theory is necessary in the slightest for a successful or talented musician, but it can't hurt. Some of the greatest improvisers of the past century may not have been great theorists, but they learned from people who learned from people who were theorists. Prime example: Duane Allman, in my opinion one of the greatest guitarists of the century, learned a great deal from John Coltrane, who, through his studies in bebop and avant garde classical music, learned a great deal about advanced musical techniques.

Short answer? It has a place, in my opinion, but isn't at all necessary.

>Somewhat related: If you had one book to recommend on theory, composition, and history, what would it be?

One book... wow, that's hard. If you're looking for a classical music intro, then there's not much better than Aaron Copland's small little volume What to Listen For in Music. It's only 8 bucks, and is a great intro to a lot of the fundamentals of theory, composers, a bit of history... hell, I'll send you my copy if you PM me.

>Somewhat unrelated (maybe): I am a really big fan of the "discordant" sound that you hear in bands like Deerhoof ( [1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBiKE0x4IPo -- Ignore the video), however, I've been unsuccessful in trying to create similar sounds. How do they do that thing where they make it sound like they're playing the "right wrong notes"? (Hopefully I communicated this successfully...)

I can't say I'm familiar with that particular band, but what they're doing in the song you posted is playing a repeated patten and then shifting the whole thing one half step (fret) up/down. So, it always sounds like the same pattern, but with some variety. If you're going for that effect, find a pattern you like and see what you can do by shifting it up/down, starting it on a different string, etc.

Same concept here, John Coltrane, using the same 4-note pattern, starting on a different note each time. Sounds like the wrong right notes, right? I think that's what you're going for.

If you want to talk more about this, I'd be happy to. As for now, I hope that helps!

The post got removed but I just wanted to reply to this last comment you made in case you come back to see it. What I would advise is just try not to be perfect. Just be yourself. What makes you feel good. It can be anything. Especially related to fashion, the places you hang out, the people you choose to be with.

Please note you didn't really get donwvoted here. You can go off on people in r/rant, r/angry (not anger) or r/offmychest all day. But this sub we really try to dig in and help people with anger management.

We can work ourselves up into an existential crisis over almost anything. Please realize you are not in a worst case scenario and other people don't wake up in the morning intent on ruining your day. So go easy on yourself and on everyone else. Spewing hatred at people will not foster peace. The transgender community is in the spotlight right now and it's basically being treated as the red-headed step-child of the world. So you need to seek out calm people for advice, people who have already been through it and aren't in the throws of figuring out who they are right now. Seek wisdom not opinions.

I used to hang out in punk clubs, gay bars, goth clubs and basically what most people would consider the worst dive bars in town because i was really low but found I could talk to other people who felt like outcasts out there. I didn't have any commonality with most people. But I started seeing people who dressed as weird as humanly possible because it made them feel like they were expressing themselves. It was a circus but it's a beautiful circus to those who appreciate it.

Even physically ugly people find love. We know this for a fact just people-watching on Saturday nights.
But thank God, right? If not, half of us would never find mates. We don't get to choose what we look like. We can alter it but only so much. Do what you would want to do anyway in life and the right people will come along. Gratitude, compassion, forgiveness will attract what you want.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you are kind to people and give them a chance they might have an easier job seeing the beauty in you. So omit those bad words and harsh feelings toward any specific group of people. They didn't help you. If something's not doing you any good, stop doing it. But don't lash out at them like it's their fault. When we know we have a hard problem on our hands, we have to work extra hard and find what heals us by ourselves. The power to choose your life is in your own hands. Take the wheel.

I suggest you find a counselor/therapist who deals with what you're dealing with. There are a lot out there that are well versed specifically in things like gender identity, body dysmorphia and conditions we don't even have names for yet. Shop around a bit to find the one that you connect with and offers suggestions that help you. Keep a journal and write your thoughts in it so you can go back and evaluate it and see if it's really true or if you're being negative. Having a journal gives you something to immediately go to and stay on track when you have a therapist as well. Also, you should just read. Read and read and read. Until you're kind of done. And then write. Write about what your experience has been. Being positive takes work, it doesn't just fall in our lap.

Movies are good too. Movies, movies, movies. Find movies that make you feel better and then ask yourself why they make you feel better.

It was twenty years ago and I'm not hip or that daring anymore. But I found my circus. Find your circus.

Hope you can feel better soon.

First of all, I want to say that it speaks very well of you that you are looking to use your time in prison to your advantage. Most people would see this as a catastrophe, but you see it as an opportunity. If you want to make this a full-time, in-depth study, this is the plan I recommend.

I would first start with a good introduction to the entire Stoic system. A great one is Stoicism by John Sellars.

Then I would start reading the source material. We are fortunate enough to have the lectures of one of the great teachers of Stoicism, Epictetus. I would go with Epictetus - Discourses, Fragments, Handbook translated by Robin Hard.

After reading Epictetus, you can move on to Marcus Aurelius, who was directly influenced by the Discourses. Robin Hard has also done a translation of the Meditations.

To fully appreciate the Meditations (and to better appreciate Epictetus), next read The Inner Citadel by Pierre Hadot. This is an incredible analysis of the Meditations which explains Epictetus' influence on Marcus Aurelius and his work.

Finally, you must of course read Seneca. Two good sources are this book of his essays and this book of his letters.

Between the footnotes in these translations and the detail given by Sellars and Hadot, you won't need Wikipedia to get clarification on any points. You'll have the expert knowledge in your hands.

I don't think it's necessary to read one of the modern how-to type books before you begin reading these, but if you think it would help to read something lighter first to become acquainted with the core concepts ahead of time, I recommend Stoicism and the Art of Happiness by Donald Robertson.

There are other sources, such as Musonius Rufus and Cicero, but these are the three most people start with and the three that I recommend first. You can look at the FAQ for more ideas if you'd like.

Find out how many books you are allowed to have at one time, as this may be an issue in prison.

As others have said, it's a very good idea to keep a journal of your thoughts, both on what you are reading and how you relate what you are reading to your life.

First, let me compliment you on a fascinating list. There are some truly great books in there. I'm both impressed and delighted. Based on your choices, I would recommend the following.


Catch-22 by Joseph Hellar. Even more so than Slaughterhouse-Five, this is the quintessential anti-war novel. A hugely influential 20th century masterpiece. And laugh-out-loud funny in parts too!

The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes is a deserved winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Engrossing, erudite, insightful and educational narrative history of this hugely important event in 20th century history - reads like a novel. Covers not only the Allies, but also the German and (very often overlooked) Japanese side to the story.


Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra, just because of its sweeping scope. Very entertaining modern novel set in India. Touches upon topics and themes as diverse as modern Indian organized crime, international terrorism, Bollywood, the 1948 Partition, Maoist rebels, the caste system, corruption in Indian film, police and government... the list goes on and on. Great fun, and eye-opening.


A Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Marcia Marquez. Whilst not the original "magic realism" novel (despite what Marquez himself my imply), this is the first one to gain international acclaim and is a very influential work. Entertaining in so many ways. Follow the history of the fictional town of Maconda for a hundred years and the lives (the crazy, multifaceted lives) of its inhabitants.


Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. This is a play, not a novel, and one translated from the French at that. Don't let that put you off. Existentialism has never been so interesting...


The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins. His latest tour-de-force.


Manufacturing Consent by Noam Chomsky. Dare I say that this expose on how Government and Big Business control public debate and the media is so important, was more influential than Chomsky's review of Skinner's verbal behaviour? Perhaps not. But a very important work none-the-less.

• Meditations: Either get the one by Gregory Hays or Robin Hard. I have both. Hays uses more modern English and is easier to understand, but he can be pretty liberal with his translation. Hard is a little more straight laced in his translation it seems but still uses pretty modern English. Also the Hard translation contains Letter from Marcus to his Rhetoric teacher Fronto which are cool to read. Other versions of Meditations do not have this in them afaik.
  
• Epictetus, Enchiridion + Discourses: Epictetus's Discourses, Fragments, Handbook by Robin Hard. Best translation of Epictetus I have found ( I like more modern English). Lots of good footnotes in this one.
  
• Seneca's Letters: Either Letters from a Stoic to get a taste of what Seneca is like, or go all the way in and get Letters on Ethics which contains all 124 letters to Lucillius. Hardcover book is awesome, high quality, great foot notes throughout.
  
• Seneca's Moral Essays: There are a bunch of these, I haven't found a favorite translation yet. If you only read one, read On the Shortness of Life

My fellow redditor, you have come to right place. Welcome to this dwelling of the Tolkien true collectors.

I write in haste so forgive the lack of details in this humble and sincere post.

The LOTR Hardcover on the link posted and provided in your above post is a perfectly and flawlessly wonderful match for the following:

The Silmarillion: https://www.amazon.com/Silmarillion-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0618391118/ref=pd_rhf_se_s_cp_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=51J5PMHHYFL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_SL500_SR104%2C135_&psc=1&refRID=KHZ53FT8HB5DRKEAQKT1

The Hobbit: https://www.amazon.com/J-R-R-Tolkien-Hobbit-114th-20/dp/B00HTK1YPE/ref=sr_1_17_twi_har_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1469223882&sr=1-17&keywords=the+hobbit+houghton+mifflin+harcourt

Beware! The Hobbit version has been reprinted several times and only some of the printings are a full and perfect and flawless match for the aforementioned beautiful LOTR set.

Unfinished Tales: There is, sadly and unfortunately, no matching Unfinished Tales version.

If you obtain the correct and perfect versions of each, your collection would look exactly similar to the following picture / image, with the sole difference that they are all HM or HMH books: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjPg83viIjOAhUNBh4KHTweDQEQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamefaqs.com%2Fboards%2F211-lord-of-the-rings%2F62025619&psig=AFQjCNF1C7dEPIF962Vt5SJRcBXvANsDJg&ust=1469311187738414

Vital and relevant Note: all from publisher HMH.

----------------------------

If what you wish my friend is to have a full and complete collection of matching books, it would be highly beneficial if you were to take a look at the Tolkien Official website: http://www.tolkien.co.uk/index.html

OPTION 1: You can have a collection like the following, with original dust jacket designs by The Professor (look for the first picture on the left): https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiUpOn8hojOAhWFHh4KHXH4B7YQjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F130322982936701780%2F&bvm=bv.127984354,bs.2,d.dmo&psig=AFQjCNEuzNQpGhoqkf9TvQH_RnSbhYk2rQ&ust=1469310665507171

OPTION 2: Another alternative is to purchase the Deluxe editions: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjOw5XEh4jOAhXGHB4KHSy6DFQQjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fatolkienistperspective.wordpress.com%2F2013%2F09%2F07%2Fmy-tolkien-collection-deluxe-editions%2F&bvm=bv.127984354,d.dmo&psig=AFQjCNEe2eUry_XNQjxuFR_GP4HQmnl4-g&ust=1469310826201755

OPTION 3: Finally, if paperbacks is what you seek, you could potentially purchase the paperback collection: https://www.reddit.com/r/tolkienbooks/comments/4qwnm8/my_paperback_collection/

For some reason I don't have the Folio Society edition. Not sure why, their books are lovely, I have quite a few others from them.

My favourite is The Philosopher's Alice, a book which I love for all sorts of personal reasons as well as being a great read. I have a pop-up edition which is pretty cool. I like Automated Alice. The BabyLit Colour Primer is great fun (we have a lot of the Babylit books). Yayoi Kusama's illustrated editon is just gorgeous. Somewhere I have some older (early 20thC) editions with illustrations other than Tenniels but my library is in a state of minor chaos and they're not where they should be. I have a stack of Tenniel editions from various times too, I think the oldest is a lovely small format version with loads of colour plates (his illustrations were redrawn in colour for those) from the early 1930s. I have a very, very battered and falling apart copy of Annotated Alice which if you don't have you should absolutely try to find because it's amazing.

The one I buy for people (usually when they have kids) and for some reason never have myself (yet) is Barnes and Noble's gorgeous leather-bound edition.

From the exhibition which ran in 2015 at the British Library I also have some postcards, a pen, a throw cushion and a mug. Because that's what happens when you have to exit through the gift shop... :)

Two things, Miguel:


Thing the First: Unless you are comfortable reading Spanish, get the Edith Grossman translation. Spanish scholars say it's the first time an English translation has done it justice. It's drop dead funny. Laughter on every page. I would say the best novel ever written (a close second being Gabriel Garcia Marquez's 100 Years of Solitude - also, coincidentally, translated by Grossman. I bought my son, who is a linguist and a professor in the field, a copy of Marquez. He called me and said, "Dad, this book is the reason language was invented!" - a very beautiful book).


Thing the Second: I'm going away in January (to Mexico) to write a book on eschatology. I already have all the notes and prep work, just have to put it all into nice book form. But, I also have it in MP3 form - which I sell as a set, in conferences, etc.; but if you go to this link, then click on teaching audios, it will allow you to download the six MP3s (about 30-45 minutes of teaching each) for free. Hope they are helpful. By the way - this "get your free MP3s" deal is for all my redditor friends.

hm, well short stories are generally my go to for lighter reading so I'll recommend a few of those.

Always looking to promote Italo Calvino; desert island picks would probably be Invisible Cities and Cosmicomics. The Baron in the Trees, while not resembling the first two in vignette formatting, also bears mentioning as a personal favorite. Calvino does what some derisively refer to as "magical realism" in the most elegant way. The word economy that he can employ in a description to give a character real depth is utterly stunning.

If that's not your jam, Etgar Keret is also fantastic - in addition to being woefully under appreciated in the states. He writes a lot of "sudden fiction," a vaguely campy term for really short short-fiction; it's dark stuff though, sort of like an Israeli Franz Kafka who watched the Simpsons and read Pynchon. Girl on the Fridge and The Bus Driver Who Wanted to be God are excellent collections to start with.

I mention him last because he's probably the most famous but Haruki Murakami is a perennial favorite of mine, The Elephant Vanishes being a lovely collection of short stories. Were I not in this subreddit, I'd forgo mentioning that this is one of the books that lives in my washroom on the toilet tank, but I'm sure my fellow crohnies will understand.

Hope there are a couple suggestions there that are new to you, happy reading.

There are two I'd recommend: Three Kingdoms and Monkey.

Three Kingdoms is obviously what you and I slightly discussed. It's a period in China after the fall of the Han Dynasty where three kingdoms fought for unified control. The Han Dynasty was so significant Chinese people still refer to themselves ethnically as Han, among other groups like Hakka, Uighur, etc. And the Japanese term kanji comes from the Chinese han ji = "Characters of the Han". Anyway, the book I referenced above is a novel written about the three kingdoms. If you've seen the movie Red Cliff, that was about a decisive battle during this period.

Monkey is my favorite Chinese novel. It's also known as Journey to the West. Historically there was a Chinese monk named Tripitaka who traveled to India to fetch scriptures for his people. He made it back and succeeded his journey. Now this book, however, was written about 100+ years since this monk and the author threw in some really esoteric and crazy shit. Using the monk's journey as a backbone for his story, the author actually writes about an extremely intelligent monkey who learns the ways of the gods, wages war against the gods, and somehow found himself becoming Tripitaka's bodyguard on his journey to India. There are two other characters that follow on the journey, but it's mostly focused on Monkey. It's amazing how much more human Monkey seems than the gods/people he meets.

Even though Monkey was a fictional character, some Chinese people actually worship him now. Strange, I know.

I'll be honest, Three Kingdoms is a bit more dry. It jumps back and forth and goes on and on about certain characters and events. If you've read the Iliad, it's along those lines but not as bad. Well, I read the unabridged English translation of the Iliad which was a challenge.

Monkey is an easier read and it still inhibits some lengthy scenes but it's more comical and fun. All the Chinese gods are involved in this book. From Buddha to the Bodhisattva, they're in here.

Fun fact: The Bodhisattva was originally a male in Indian Buddhism. As Buddhism traveled east other cultures changed the Bodhisattva to a female. If you ever come across Korean Buddhist paintings you might just notice she'll have a mustache.

tl;dr

1. Three Kingdoms
   
2. Monkey aka Journey to the West
   
3. The Monkey King himself

http://www.amazon.com/The-Lord-Rings-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0618260587/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343519879&sr=8-1&keywords=lord+of+the+rings+alan+lee

(sorry I don't know how to compact links) This is the one I bought awhile ago. If you want a high quality set, this is a great one. This is not one that is built for being lugged around, but it is doable. I really love the Alan Lee illustrations, it is one of the big selling points. There are a good amount, and they are full colored and take up a whole page. The print is great and the set looks great. A very good set. However, they are pretty heavy

I would like to enter, please. I would love a Kindle to save space because I don't have any room for many books; I store most of them at my parents' house. I was also hoping to eventually save up for one so I could use it for school to have a digital copy of my textbooks so I don't have to haul around so many heavy books when I'm out of the apartment. It would be wonderful to have for leisurely reading on my time off, too.

Thank you very much for paying forward the chance to own one. It's something that I wouldn't normally buy myself because it's a little pricey and I couldn't justify spending that much money on myself while I'm in school.

If I could pick a book, I would pick either Brave New World or 1984. Thank you again, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

To answer your question: No! Homebrewing is easy! I have a friend who made a fantastic, drinkable, delicious beer with a Mr Beer kit from Amazon. It took him about an hour of his time total (and a couple of weeks of waiting for fermentation and conditioning). It can also be really hard! I like to make complicated brews to either simulate beers I love or discover new delicious possibilities, and that can get challenging. So . . . it's as hard or as easy as you want it to be.

And hooray for your Alice love! I've long loved the book as well. I've read the annotated version several times (if you haven't, you must! . . . but I bet you have by now). (Edited here to add a link for you to add it to your wish list on the off chance that you haven't read it yet.) And I was thrilled to get cast as the Mad Hatter in a local community theater production just a couple of weeks ago! That's a dream fulfilled!

The books Cracker Culture: Celtic Ways in the Old South, Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America and Black Rednecks and White Liberals

You can listen to the relevant parts of the last book here. He covers the issue in about the first 2.5 hours. It's written by Dr. Thomas Sowell, a black, Harvard educated economist.

It's fascinating the influences of Scottish culture on black culture. Most don't realize but Gospel music came directly out of Scottish culture.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_American#Folk_and_Gospel_music

>There has also been a long tradition of influences between Scottish American and African American communities. Psalm-singing and gospel music are a mainstay of African American churchgoers. The great influx of Scots Presbyterians into the Carolinas introduced African slaves to this form of worship.[23] The style of gospel-singing was also influenced by Scottish Gaelic-speaking settlers from the Western Isles, particularly North Uist. Scottish Gaelic psalm-singing, or "precenting the line" as it is technically known, in which the psalms are called out and the congregation sings a response, was the earliest form of congregational singing adopted by Africans in America. [23]

>The first foreign tongue spoken by some slaves in America was Scottish Gaelic picked up from Gaelic-speakers from the Western Isles.[23] In a North Carolina newspaper dated about 1740, an advertisement offers a generous reward for the capture and return of a runaway African slave who is described as being easy to identify because he only spoke Gaelic.[24] In one church in Alabama the African American congregation worshiped in Gaelic as late as 1918, another indication of the extent to which the Highlanders and Islanders spread their culture, from North Carolina to Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi.[25]

The line connecting Gaelic psalm singing & American Music (2007) Line Singing Conference at Yale.

Ben McConville (31 August 2003). "Black music from Scotland? It could be the gospel truth". Scotland on Sunday. Retrieved 2007-12-18.

You also see the Celtic influence on American black culture in traditions like "jumping the broom" at weddings, calling hog entrails "chittlins," saying "ax" for ask, "acrost" for across those and other pronunciations that have been termed ebonics are actually antiquated pronunciations that can be traced back to immigrants from the Celtic borderlands.

I'll start.

1.Our American Pravda by Ron Unz

https://www.unz.com/runz/our-american-pravda/

It's hard to choose from Unz's amazing collection of articles. This one is a great dive on how the United States media system has been bought out by marxism and corporate interests.

2.The Cause of the Second Civil War by Taylor Mclain

https://www.theoccidentalobserver.net/2018/07/22/the-cause-of-the-second-civil-war-in-america/

Interesting take on why the civil war was fought and how the unresolved issues and lost capital and lives have affected the United States.

3.Biological Leninism by Bloodyshovel

https://bloodyshovel.wordpress.com/2017/11/14/biological-leninism/

Analysis on what really motivated the Bolshevik revolution and how we are still in the throws of these misguided ideologies.

Ok so I just realized how hard this is to narrow down three articles so since I'm the OP I'm going to cheat and post a few more.

Bonus.

4.Was Aaron Swartz Killed By An
MIT Satanic Child Porn Ring? By Yoichi Shimatsu

https://rense.com/general95/swartz.html

A friend of Aaron Swartz investigates his suspicious suicide that was memory holed by the press. What he discovers is horrifying.

5.Book Review: Albion's Seed by Scott Alexander (of Slate Star Codex)

http://slatestarcodex.com/2016/04/27/book-review-albions-seed/

Scott is a liberal but a wicked smart one. Here he does an outstanding summary on a long book called Albion's Seed: 4 British Folkways in America by David Hackett Fischer and gives his personal views on the author's thesis about the founding stock of the country. If you love history this is an awesome read and it's like taking an entire course in 60-90 minutes of reading. The details and cultural understandings outlined in this article have really helped me understand some of our wacky politics and disagreements in the modern age.

6.The Amazing Warnings of Benjamin Freedman

https://rense.com//general34/amaz.htm

I've posted this transcript frequently in comments on this sub but still want to include it here. It was one of the texts that really broke me away from liberalism and into dissident right thinking. It gives an entirely different perspective on the first and second world wars and the motivations of the countries and ethnic groups involved in those conflicts. Academia in collusion with media and western liberal governments have systematically covered up this perspective from the public conscientious.

7.The 3-ladder system of social class in the U.S. by Michael Church

https://web.archive.org/web/20151006183427/https://michaelochurch.wordpress.com/2012/09/09/the-3-ladder-system-of-social-class-in-the-u-s/

This is another essay not written by a dissident right person but does a good job on outlining how the american class system has manifested and calcified. There's no discussion on jewish involvement but you can see from the article how it would be easy for an elite class to be co-opted as they are less and less connected to the lower classes.



edit. if this thread gets some traction we could do it monthly and try not to repost articles shared in older threads. In a few months we should have a really great body of writing to share with new users. I look forward to reading all of your wonderful submissions!!

On the top half of your comment: Word.

On the second par: I had read parts of the tao te ching before on the internet, but I read it for class last semester in what seemed like a pretty good translation. I don't remember the translator's name, but It had a lot of good explanations on translation issues, showing the chinese characters for reference.

In a similar vein, I'm now reading (for class) Monkey, which is really cool and tao but in a jokey way.
Monkey was the inspiration for Dragon Ball, so if you've never seen that you might enjoy the first couple episodes (after which it loses touch and turns into only fighting).

I'm surprised no one has brought it up yet, but I'm gonna throw my hat in the ring for Ursula K. Le Guin and the Earthsea Quartet. Le Guin is a master of writing character-driven fantasy with a focused message that extends beyond the worlds she creates, though those worlds are fascinating in their own right.

I think the best way to express how impactful her writing has been in my life is with a part of the introduction to The Left Hand of Darkness, wherein she discusses just why she writes fiction:


> A metaphor for what?

> If I could have said it non-metaphorically, I would not have written all these words, this novel; and Genly Ai would never have sat down at my desk and used up my ink and typewriter ribbon in informing me, and you, rather solemnly, that the truth is a matter of the imagination.

I posted this in another thread, but going to post it again here since it's relevant.

------

I feel like we should be mailing textbooks/memoirs on fascism/authoritarianism to our representatives...

I thought about organizing a gofundme to send the same book to all Republican representatives (senate and congress) from Amazon, but I think it would be more effective if it was sent from individual constituents in the rep's districts. I personally feel powerless since all my representatives are democrat, but I think it would send a really powerful message if people in red districts sent copies of books directly from Amazon. It would only cost around $10 to do that, and you can include a gift message with your address and why you're sending it.

People smarter than me probably have better suggestions, and could even point out passages that should be highlighted and bookmarked, but here are a few suggestions off the top of my head:

• The Anatomy of Fascism
  
• It Can't Happen Here
  
• Or just go all out and send Inside the Third Reich (though this may come across a tad hyperbolic, even though there are some fair comparisons)
  
  EDIT: Adding 1984 by Orwell to the list for obvious reasons.

I feel like there's two ways I can interpret your question, so I'll answer both just to be safe.

If your question is "Why did I pick so many Scotsmen as examples?" then the answer is simply that most of my historical knowledge focuses on North America and Europe (although I've gotten really interested in African history recently), so that was the area of study I readily had examples for (although I did include a Korean example). I'm almost positive you'd be able to find similar examples in any other culture.

If your question is "Was there a cultural reason so many Scotsmen were willing to risk themselves in battle?" then the answer would be "probably". Scotland has a notoriously warlike culture. When they weren't busy fighting the British, they were busy fighting each other. As one Scottish proverb puts it, "twelve highlanders and a bagpipe make a rebellion." It's been theorized that the reason the Scots were so notoriously ready to thrown down was because they had a culture of honor, a phenomenon that often pops up in societies that are economically dependent upon herd animals for their livelihood, as well as an absence of effective law enforcement (Scotland fits the bill for both of those things). In short, if most of my wealth was in the form of herd animals, and there was no law enforcement around, then I would be a very attractive target for anyone looking to gain instant wealth, at the expense of my livelihood. Therefore in order to survive, I would have to make it clear to the world that I was not a shepherd to be fucked with. I could accomplish that by delivering swift and disproportionate vengeance upon anyone that attempted to take advantage of me. If I didn't do that, it would show the world that I was an easy target. When fighting and violence is that central to your life, you probably aren't extremely adverse to war, either.

Interestingly enough, the concept of a culture of honor also applies to inner-city drug dealers. When you're carrying all your wealth (whether it be money or drugs) on your person, and you have no option of reporting a theft due to the illegal nature of your wealth, you pretty much have no choice but to deliver justice yourself.

The Scotch-Irish are an especially noteworthy subculture, with a well-deserved reputation for being fiercely independent and not afraid of violence. These are people who left Scotland and settled in Northern Ireland. Many of them took the leap of immigrating to America, and were a key group in settling/conquering the American frontier (which back then was much further east than what most people think of), as well as the Appalachians, an area not too dissimilar from their native Scotland (Here is a relevant map. Spotting the Appalachians should be pretty darn easy).

Many of the greatest fighters in American history were Scotch-Irish. No less than 12 American Presidents were Scotch-Irish (and that's not including President Obama, who believe it or not has some Scotch-Irish from his mother's ancestry), including Andrew Jackson and U.S. Grant, both famous for their skill in war. Other notable Scotch-Irish warriors include Chesty Puller, George Patton, Nathan Bedford Forrest, Stonewall Jackson and James Webb. That's just a quick sampling, barely scratching the surface.

Anyways, I'm finished talking your ear off. If you'd like to know more, I highly recommend either James Webb's history (appropriately titled Born Fighting), or Fischer's Albion's Seed.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that both the Hatfields AND the McCoy's were Scotch-Irish, two groups notorious for their propensity for violence.

http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/its_more_than_a_job

Read that.

Now read it again, and focus on the significance of the essays.

Being well-read gives you a common connection or foundation with others who are similarly well-read.
Being well-read helps you develop stronger language context skills, and a more broad vocabulary which will be useful to you when you have to describe deeply meaningful topics about yourself and your dreams in 400 words or less.

Search A2C for how many interviewers or application essays asked the applicant to discuss their favorite book, or something they recently read. It's a common theme.

Ask Google how many books Bill Gates and James Mattis read in an average month.

You say you're interested in STEM. Ok, here are two books IMMENSLY popular with the nerd-crowd:

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Dune

Please, don't say or think "But, I've already seen those movies..."
No movie has ever been as detailed in conveying a story as the book.

And if robots & robotics are seriously among your interests, Asimov is pretty much required reading.

I, Robot

check out Wendal his cat and the progress of man

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendal,_His_Cat,_and_the_Progress_of_Man

you can find it used or new under 10 bucks. great read as a nice "little" book.

I'm also a fan of Johnathan Livingston Seagull - same kind of format, similar kind of mystical tale:
http://www.amazon.com/Jonathan-Livingston-Seagull-Richard-Bach/dp/0743278909/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301457290&sr=1-1

and for a great one to share with a loved one -- Nick Bantock's Griffin and Sabine series is outstanding:

http://www.amazon.com/Griffin-Sabine-Correspondence-Nick-Bantock/dp/0877017883/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301457347&sr=1-1

Sorry to bother you, but what field is that? Ancient Greek mathematics, or their physics?

To OP:

A little late I know, but I'd also have to recommend Galileo's Two New Sciences. Galileo requires a knowledge of parts of Aristotle's Physics, which I'd suggest anyway if you're interested in this. A quick note on that translation, Sachs is a very difficult but very rewarding translator, in my opinion. He focuses very closely on the Greek at the expense of using rather confusing language at times. If that's not what you're looking for, the standard translation (including standard vocabulary) is contained in this collection of Aristotle's works. Archimedes, as others have suggested, is great. Heath, the editor of that volume, is a fantastic scholar and his 3 volume edition of the Elements for anyone looking for an in depth knowledge of Greek geometry. Heath's two volume history of Greek mathematics is a must have as well for that subject. Newton is another very rewarding author (though the Principia is very challenging). You'd probably be looking for the Densmore edition of the Principia, which makes the Principia extremely more accessible.

• "Dracula" by Bram Stoker. Definitely. Great for this time of year, too.
  
• "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll. ... I recommend getting "The Annotated Alice", annotated by Martin Gardner - (hardback or paperback - I can't find a Kindle version). It lets you in on all the inside jokes and references throughout the book. It was written for someone of the time and much is lost to later generations.
  
  For more modern "classics":
  
  
• "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
  
• "Watchmen" by Alan Moore (graphic novel - better than the movie)
  
• "The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World" by Harlan Ellison ... In the same world is the movie "A Boy and His Dog", the Graphic Novel "Vic and Blood: The Chronicles of a Boy and His Dog" and the game "Fallout" (best are Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas) is also loosely built upon the world.
  
• "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" by Harlan Ellison ... you can also play the point & click adventure game of the same name here.
  
  [edit] - added paperback, as it's cheaper
  
  [edit 2] - added two books

I'm trained in Jazz and Classical, so the chords will run through my head whether I like it or not. Then I usually notice the instrumentation, rhythm, how tight they are as an ensemble, etc. (I can usually tell if a soloist knows the changes or not- hasn't been a hinderance, just funny sometimes).

Knowing theory has made me enjoy music more, in fact. I disagree with the people saying it takes the magic away. The important part is not allowing your analytical, objective listener to overpower your emotional, subjective listener. They should both be there, but an imbalance of analysis will suck your enjoyment dry. Knowing the language of music gives you access to the conversational, thematic realm of it. You notice and pick apart the different themes/phrases with new brain tools, which allows you to analyze the piece on a deeper, thematic level. This is why I believe people studying theory tend to eventually gravitate towards Classical and Jazz once they get these tools, as their brains enjoy picking apart the once indecipherable intricacies that popular music doesn't for the most part offer.

As for learning basic analytical skills, Aaron Copland wrote a book called What to Listen for in Music that covers this topic without getting into too much technical detail. He intended it to be a book the complete layman could use to learn the art of really listening to the conversational/thematic part of music.

If you want a cold analysis of these songs, the easiest way to practice this would be to get your instrument and figure out the chords behind these songs, then write them down. Your brain will get better at it, and start picking up characteristics like root/scale degree, inversion, chord quality, etc. almost immediately.

Remember what it's up to you and what it's not. Consider that you are not your body, your possessions or your fame. You are what nature has gifted you: Your Reason. This is the only thing that makes you different from a lion with a broken leg that cannot hunt more and may die of starvation.

My cousin was a pro football player, and he had 3 broken meniscus surgeries in 2 years, that forced him to ultimately leave the sport. Now he has become a really outstanding indoor cycling reference in my country. By the way, in the past, he was really trying so hard to be a great football player, but from my point of view, he has been always pretty mediocre at that sport and with a really poor fit body. Now he is extremely fit, and I see him flourishing, motivating a lot of people to do their fitness routines.

That injury changed his life to better and not because of the injury: Just because of his decisions after the injury.

But it could have also changed his life to worse, and whatever that could have happened was not under his control.

The best part is that you own your own prohairesis (your will, your power of decision). Anyone cares if you decide to be depressive with what the Universe has offered you, or if you decide to channel your effort to new paradigms.

This is not a self-help guide. Until you can't recognize what it's up to you and what's not, you won't be able to start making a change in your life in genera. This is not a single advice to make you feel better (or worse). It's a radical alert to start re-thinking how is your friendship and relationship with the Cosmos. It's hard, and this is why Stoicism designed a set of exercise to muscle up your mind:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/wiki/faq#wiki_what_are_some_stoic_practices_and_exercises.3F

And please, make yourself a favor, and read Epictetus Discourses
https://www.amazon.com/Discourses-Fragments-Handbook-Oxford-Classics/dp/0199595186

I am an architect. I gained my Bachelors from UNM and masters from Rice. I largely focus on theoretical works that incorporate computation and digital fabrication.

I personally think The Fountainhead is a joke. There is nothing in that book that relates to anything truly in Architecture other than using the profession as a tool for her to present her personally skewed views on things. Could have been about a plumber.

If there is a "religious experience" it is in throwing yourself into what you love. But I can't imagine someone stuck detailing windows on four story double loaded corridor apartment buildings having a religious experience...unless it is some sort of pittance.

I would do a lot more investigating into the field. There are many corners of the profession that are all interesting and unique. I would start by visiting some local schools if you happen to be near any. You may be able to have a visit and get a sense of the student commitment and time consumption. Post charette can be a good time to visit and see the chaos in its resultant form and watching students present on little to no sleep.

If Ayn Rand is what is motivating you to get into architecture I would recommend you instead turn to something like, The Atlas of Novel Tectonics and Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities as more appropriate places to begin to understand Architecture from within...at least in its generalized contemporary form.

Atlas of Novel Tectonics
http://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Novel-Tectonics-Jesse-Reiser/dp/1568985541

Invisible Cities
http://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Cities-Italo-Calvino/dp/0156453800


If these things make you hungrier...keep feeding the investigation.

I guess the first question is how much money are you planning to spend? I am no expert collector or anything, but I think the current LOTR version with the most correct text is the following - and as a plus, it is illustrated by Alan Lee:

http://www.tolkien.co.uk/product/9780007525546/The+Lord+of+the+Rings+

The is also one which I am planning to purchase very soon, which I think at this point has the fully corrected text as well (might be missing a couple of typos) and is not fully illustrated - it does, however, contain illustrations that Tolkien intended to have included in the original book but were excluded for financial reasons (the dust jacket design from Tolkien himself and the Book of Mazarbul pages):

http://www.tolkien.co.uk/product/9780007581146/The+Lord+of+the+Rings+Boxed+Set+

Finally, there is the following boxed set with illustrations from Alan Lee - which does not have either the fully corrected text or original intended illustrations. It is however, a very nice set.

https://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0618260587/ref=sr_1_2_twi_har_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468510148&sr=8-2&keywords=9780618260584

Finally, even though I enjoyed the LOTR movies, I am not fond of movie tie-ins as I feel it somehow "stains" the original work. However, they are wildly popular in the US. I would recommend to stay away from those.

I realize these options are not exactly cheap, but I think any of these would make for a memorable gift.

Journey to the West has many adaptions and translations for their story since it is extremely old. Now I can give you a couple recommendations.

Book Translation: Monkey: Folk Novel of China

Movie Adaptation: Based on the first 7 chapters focused on Wukong's story and Now the actual Journey to the West I haven't watched these, but I heard good things.

I hope this helps! I'm glad I could help interest you in the story!

Some that I really enjoyed by authors that frequent r/fantasy.

They Mostly Come Out At Night and Where the Waters Turn Black by Benedict Patrick - I Read them both this week, they are awesome.

Paternus by Dyrk Ashton - Great book. Plus, if you don't like it you can watch the author get hit by a truck and then finished off with a crowbar by Tony Todd in the 1990 version of Night of the Living Dead

Danse Macabre by Laura M. Hughes - A creepy little novella that I absolutely adored.

Some more books by r/fantasy authors on my TBR list that I'm looking forward to reading soon. I've heard good things about all of these.

A Star Reckoners Lot by Darrell Drake,

Valley of Embers by Steven Kelliher

Fae - The Wild Hunt by Graham Austin-King

Ours is the Storm by D. Thourson Palmer

Jaeth's Eye by K. S. Villoso

To Whatever End by Claire Frank

Sufficiently Advanced Magic by Andrew Rowe

House of Blades by Will Wight

Path of Flames by Phil Tucker

And a few really good classics if you haven't read them before, such as The Princess Bride by William Goldman, Witch World as well as some other really good books by Andre Norton, Tales of Nevèrÿon by Samuel R. Delany, and The first volume of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser: Swords and Deviltry by Fritz Leiber

It's basically the mythology of Middle Earth. If you ever had to read Edith Wharton's Mythology for school, you'll find the Silmarillion similar.

There is plot, but it works on both a much larger and smaller scale. In the pages of the Silmarillion, you have the entire history of Middle Earth, told through much smaller stories. You don't have a central character, but instead focus on the various Valar, Maiar, and Elves that tell the story of Middle Earth.

Is it dry? Yes. But it's worth it if you want to know answers to questions like:

• Who is Sauron? How did he gain his power?
  
• What is a Balrog? Shelob?
  
• Who/what is Gandalf?
  
• Why are the Elves leaving Middle Earth for "the West"?
  
  It's great if you want more out of Tolkien, but it's definitely not like LOTR.
  
  EDIT: Formatting

>...create a fantasy world in which a character is perfectly happy, without any conflicts ... But that would be a very boring book.

You know, I hear this all the time- that stories require conflict- but I'm not sure I agree.

Take a look at something like Invisible Cities, Changing Planes, or Imaginary Magnitude. They're all more descriptions of fictional worlds than traditional narratives, but they still make for extremely good reading, despite having no central conflicts.

In the same vein, I enjoy reading the setting descriptions in tabletop rpg sourcebooks, as well as worldbuilding projects like the SCP Foundation or Orion's Arm, and things like this.

So, if worldbuilding alone can provide enjoyment, then what's to say that worldbuilding in more traditional narratives has to be in service to something else?

same here. LotR is nice but I'll always love the Hobbit more. BTW, if you haven't already, check out The Annotated Hobbit or any version of the book which contains the original text of the encounter with Gollum. Very cool to see what it was like before Tolkien changed it later to better suit the LotR.

Find a passion to channel your insecurity into as well. I've come to learn that creation (art, especially) is one of the few salvations from unhappiness available–at least to my mind :)

If you're getting into meditation and honing yourself as a person, I definitely recommend Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. I picked up a copy at The Strand bookstore in NYC last year when I was seventeen, and it completely redefined the way I see the quest for The Self. Hands down, it's one of the best, most beautiful pieces of fiction I've ever read.

Check out the reviews and let me know what you think; hopefully it helps:

https://www.amazon.com/Siddhartha-Hermann-Hesse/dp/0553208845

ballantine 1973 paperbacks

houghton mifflin 1999 trade paperback (my first set, heart eyes)

houghton mifflin 80s hardcover set (had my eye on these for Years and my gf bought me the box set for my bday, more heart eyes) $38 on amazon rn (apparently there's a hobbit hardcover that matches these? i need it)

there's a really nice big coffee table-ish hardcover of the silmarillion with lots of illustrations by ted nasmith. it's huge though (almost as big as TWOIAF) and surprisingly heavy and I don't think I actually have a way to comfortably read it right now? ymmv though

<Just graduated.
I probably spent about 400-600 dollars total on school books. Pretty cheap, compared to a more standard college, where enough textbooks for a semester can run you that much.
I bought the vast majority of the readings in the first two years.
I switched to getting about 50% of my books at the library or free open source e-books in the second two years.
Many (~50% of what I bought) were bought used in bookstore or on amazon.

You do not have to buy as many books as I did. You probably shouldn't, but definitely get your own copy of the things you might really like, and I suggest getting a personal copy of the following: Herodotus, the Iliad, Plutarch, Epictetus, Euclid, and I really like this copy of the collected works of Aristotle. http://www.amazon.com/Basic-Aristotle-Modern-Library-Classics/dp/0375757996/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369118955&sr=1-3&keywords=aristotle

Also, after your first year, check the common rooms at the end of the year when everyone is moving out. Many manuals will be left there, and the older editions typically differ only in pagination.

Have fun. It's a wonderful place.

Newer, if I had to guess. It was a library copy (I was just being brief). It was a while ago but I'm pretty sure it's this one; says 2002 in the Amazon details. It was great, it had all sort of details on his early drafts, inspirations, links with names to Norse mythology, alternate Gollumn's riddles chapter, illustrations from Tolkien and various other editions and of course the appendices with family trees and the Erebor bit.

Having read a few, I've enjoyed the Robert & Jean Hollander version the most. It's very readable and quite poetic, making it a great first version.

Unfortunately, as far as I know, with the Hollanders you have to buy each book of The Divine Comedy separately, and it can get pricy. For a good edition in one volume, with the added bonus of being a "terza rima" version, I would recommend the John Ciardi translation.

The easiest and best way I know how is to watch The Buddha. Then read Siddhartha.

Then check out the Buddhism overview at The Big View, which is tailored to giving a really good overview for neophytes.

Let that sink in a while and you'll naturally find your own questions, which you can then come and ask here or search for on your own.

Buddhism is simply putting into practice a method of the mind to find contentment in the moment. Everything else is an artifact of religion. It's a truth that some guy (Siddhartha) figured out 2500 years ago and decided it would be a good idea to tell others about. And it kind of caught on.

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin

A classic scifi novel that I've yet to read; it's won both the 1969 Nebula and 1970 Hugo awards.

From Amazon:

> Winter is an Earth-like planet with two major differences: conditions are semi artic even at the warmest time of the year, and the inhabitants are all of the same sex. Tucked away in a remote corner of the universe, they have no knowledge of space travel or of life beyond their own world. And when a strange envoy from space brings news of a vast coalition of planets which they are invited to join, he is met with fear, mistrust and disbelief...'The Left Hand of Darkness' is a groundbreaking work of feminist science fiction, an imaginative masterpiece which poses challenging questions about sexuality, sexism and the organisation of society.

What to Listen for in Music by Aaron Copland is a great book for learning how to listen to music more attentively. Also, you can't go wrong with Dorling-Kindersley's Eyewitness Companion to Classical Music. I grew up flipping through that volume - it's a lot of fun to read and is very informative. If your local library has magazine and newspaper subscriptions, they may have a subscription to Gramophone Magazine which is an excellent guide to classical music recordings. If not, their website has a lot of resources for free. There are lots of other great resources listed in this thread, like Adam Neely's youtube channel. It takes a while to build

Ever Since /u/DrunkColdStone has mentioned some things, I'll touch upon a few things they haven't. Much of the lore behind the game is influenced by fiction, but I'll try to touch upon Non-fiction sources, unless I cannot find any.
> The Island of Dead Ships in the Sargasso Sea

While much of of the story in Solomon Island seems to be influenced by The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, The Sargasso Sea does have some mysteries surrounding it. There have been reports of sailors finding ships with their sails set, but no trace of the crew. These mysterious disappearances combined with it's close proximity to The Bermuda Triangle have created an aura of mystery around the place. As for books, I have not found anything that specifically covers these aspects of the Sargasso Sea, so your best bet would be books about the Bermuda Triangle.

> The Wabanaki

The Wabanaki tribe is actually a group of native american tribes known as The Wabanaki Confederacy. They have, since the first days of the U.S, helped out in conflicts and wars, including in Modern day Iraq and Afghanistan. There are many books covering the tribes in this group, so take your pick.

Books on The Wabanaki on Amazon

> Inspiration for the Dragon faction

As far as I can tell, it seems that The Dragon is an original creation. My research leads me to believe it is inspired by either The Gen'yosha or the Black Dragon Society with a LOT of Chaos Theory and Complex Systems thrown into the mix.

As for one of the best "Reference" Books for much of the inspiration of the lore for the game, I'll have to bring up a point that /u/just-passin made.

> The OP expressed interest mainly in non-fiction although in this case even most of the non-fiction sources will be about fiction. In that case for completeness you have to acknowledge Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos (to which many authors have contributed). For info about Lovecraft and the origins of the mythos the go-to author is probably S.T. Joshi although you need a working knowledge (or better) of Lovecraftian fiction to get the best from him.

I would suggest looking into The New Annotated H.P. Lovecraft While it is mainly fiction, it contains page after page of non-fiction references and explanations behind many of the concepts and events that appear in the stories.

Not OP but I highly recommend "Sailing the Wine Dark Sea" by Tom Cahill, and really all of his books in "The Hinges of History" series.
Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter (The Hinges of History) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0385495544/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ywLPBbZ1K4HJW

Edith Hamilton's "Mythology". Many consider it dry by today's standards but I appreciate her depth I
Of analysis.
Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes https://www.amazon.com/dp/0446574759/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_QvLPBb447ENFT

On the lighter, young reader side, D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths." Beautiful artwork in there. I grew up reading it with my dad so it's special to me.
D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths https://www.amazon.com/dp/0440406943/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_TuLPBbK30N3K0

For when you want to listen with your earballs, check out Dan Carlin's Hardcore History podcast, specifically the entire series Kings of Kings. It's not specifically about Greece, but about Persia and Greece interacting. He covers a lot of ground, including the Battle of Thermopylae (of 300 fame).
https://www.dancarlin.com/hardcore-history-56-kings-of-kings/

I bought this book, but did not get around to reading it yet. I hope that the stories are arranged well. It has a lot of information about Lovecraft and his life as well. And it looks quite nice ;)

Coming in to weight in on "Blood Meridian", it's my second book by Cormac McCarthy (after The Road) and it is simply astounding. One of the best books I've read in a long time.

I've also heard great things about Shantaram.

If you're going for the long run, I would also suggest "A Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It's a classic, not particularly in line with what you've quoted but it's absolutely brilliant with a profusion of characters and an intricate story arc that would make it one of the better books for a long stretch of time alone.

A couple of books that have sparked ideas and helped me with cities:

• Fief by Lisa J. Steele is an extremely well-researched book about real-life medieval towns and cities, specifically written for GMs, authors and the like. The PDF seems a little spendy, but for the quality of the research and the book itself I wholeheartedly recommend it. I haven't had a chance to look at Town, the companion book, so I can't speak to it.
  
  
• Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino is a meditation on the nature of cities themselves, and is super-metaphorical, but some of the ideas contained therein make for some amazing fantasy cities (the city of naiads made up entirely of pipes and plumbing, the city built according to the pattern of the stars that now brims with hideous deformities), and it's an excellent all-around read.

Well, it depends on what you want to study. If you want to go for religious experience, phenomenology, and epistemology, Yandell's "The Epistemology of Religious Experience", Otto's "The Idea of the Holy", James' "Varieties ...", and Alston's "Perceiving God" would be good.

For Medieval philosophy you really can't beat Aquinas. Since the SCG and ST are pretty hefty, it'd be good to start with Aristotle's metaphysica and physica (late late late edit: not just that, but read his works on souls as well as his other works). McKeon's "The Basic works of Aristotle" is an okay translation. There's a better one, but the name eludes me. After that, Aquinas' "On Being and Essence" is a must-read for metaphysics. Then either flip through the SCG or ST, or even better, find a companion for the two works (Peter Kreeft, Feser, and Sir A. Kenny are all decent). Beyond Aquinas, and a bit earlier than him, are Augustine and the Church fathers. I can't really say much on them because I'm not too familiar-- I fell in love with the Medieval philosopher-theologians before I converted, I didn't really pay much mind to those earlier than them in the Christian tradition. However, Augustine is usually the man I've heard recommended.

Beyond the books, philosophy papers between, say, Bergmann, Pruss, Almeida, et al. are wonderful. Almeida's "On Vague Eschatology", "A New Cosmological Argument Undone" (in response to Pruss), Almeida's refutation of Rowe's new evidentialist argument from evil, and his reply to Alston's skeptical theist response to Rowe's new evidentialist argument. Usually these will be followed by a response, and counter-response, etc.

For Oderberg, and in general for the Neo-Aristotelians, Tahko's collection of essays by varying neo-Aristotelians in "Contemporary Aristotelian Metaphysics", Oderberg's "Whatever is Changing...", and Oderberg's "Real Essentialism" are not explicitly Christian or related to the philosophy of religion (except the second, that is explicitly about the First Way of St. Thomas Aquinas) but implicitly related via the essentialists (particularly the Aristotelians) in the Christian tradition.

edit: Question for you: Which works of Plantinga? Also, by Zacharias, you mean Ravi Zacharias? I've never read much on him but I've heard he's okay. What is your take on him?

You might want to check out Albion's Seed by David Hackett Fischer for a very thorough explanation of US redneck culture and its origins. Fischer traces four distinct British cultural folkways as they are transplanted and adopted in the United States. Originally regional, these cultures spread across the country as it expanded.

Fischer explains that Southern backcountry culture is derived from "Scots-Irish" (actually an intermingling of Irish, Scottish, and English) people on the borders of Northern England, Southern Scotland, and in North Ireland from the 1600s.

Some markers of the Southern backcountry culture are honor, clan-orientation, a tendency toward a warrior pride, and supporting willfulness in children. This is a result of the centuries of warfare in the borderlands where the original Scots-Irish settlers came from.

This is quite distinct from, say, Virginia culture, which was all about gentrification, hierarchy, the "gentleman" class, wealthy plantations, and the like. The other two cultural traditions traced are New England Puritan culture and Delaware-valley Quaker culture. All of these traditions are currently still regionally expressed and have spread to varying degrees across parts of the US.

They're both great for their clarity, conciseness, and more modern use of language. I personally think Robin Hard's version flows a bit better, but they're pretty much interchangeable, and for some passages I prefer the Hays translation.

Edit: Robin Hard also has a great translation of Epictetus' Discourses, Fragments, and Handbook (Enchiridion).

Good luck with your company!

And ya I make sure to read as much as I can and listen, listen to all the people trying to work their way across the desert of their own lives.

Also for any of those looking for good reads about society and such I'm reading A Brave New World now after just finishing 1984 both very interesting reads for anyone interested in how society works.

(I know these recommendations are cliche but they are good enough to suggest again)

I went through a heavy Watts phase in college. A few of his books are just transcriptions of his lectures. Become Who You Are is probably my favorite. Most of what he's doing is taking concepts of mindfulness and self from Eastern traditions like Buddhism, and explaining it through a Western style of understanding.

If you like Watts, you would probably like Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. Very similar tones, except this is more of a universal parable.

I'm not sure if people still read this book, but Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was pretty influential for me.

I can't speak to hardcover editions of LotR as I still haven't committed to those myself, but I would recommend that whatever version you get, get an ebook version too - being able to search the text is absolutely wonderful, particularly if you also have a copy of The Complete Guide To Middle Earth by Robert Foster.

As an aside, this version of the Silmarillion is very nice.

Gandalf is a straight up badass. I would encourage you to go back and read [The Silmarillion] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Silmarillion-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0618391118/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373920830&sr=8-1&keywords=silmarillion) as well as the [History of Middle Earth Volumes] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Histories-Middle-Earth-Volumes/dp/0345466454/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373920796&sr=8-1&keywords=the+history+of+middle+earth) to get a better understanding of the background of the entire world. It's by no means easy reading, and it's very in-depth and very dense, but it gives you a deeper understanding and appreciation for the world which Tolkien had created.

Depending on her level of interest, I'd suggest this hardcover copy of the Silmarillion
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0618391118/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_hiaAxbKMBPCHR

Even if she has one already, this one comes with a ton of illustrated pages; it's absolutely beautiful. Personally, I like to own hardcover editions of my favorite books.

Well, for one, you could try to see if you like Asimov's robot stories. One collection of these is "I,Robot" which I enjoyed myself a lot. There's also a couple of full length novels (see wikipedia ) A bit of googling should find you a lot more (not only about robots) and the same holds for Clarke ofcourse. Happy reading :-)

I don't know if you're a Game of Thrones fan but The Wold of Ice & Fire is a beautiful book and I doubt the digital version could ever compare.

There's also some good Lord of the Rings hardcover collector editions out there.

Finally, when Amazon did the 33% off any book a few weeks ago I picked up this:
The New Annotated HP Lovecraft, it's also a beautiful book.

If anyone else happens to like those short-format thought collection-style books, two other interesting ones that I really like are:

Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman

Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino

I come back to both of these books repeatedly for creative inspiration, I like them so much. I have yet to read Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives, but from what Grey said, I feel like the two that I mentioned might be a little bit more in-depth and may require a bit more work to understand in some cases.

Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. A great story about a man who is unsatisfied with life and his quest to find happiness. Hesse tries to capture some of the aspects of Buddhism and eastern wisdom. A very good book to put things in perspective.

Copland's What to listen for in Music was really good, but more geared to the classical novice; still worth the read, nonetheless.

Toch's The Shaping Forces of Music was a serious eye opener for me as a composer. It really out everything I was learning in school into perspective and helped me make sense of the purpose of all that I was being taught.

Rimsky-Korsakov's Principles of Orchestration was a very good book that showed me all the idiosyncrasies of writing for symphony in a very clear manner.

Rare that anon gets a wholesome birthday, good for him!

If it's the one I'm thinking of, that HP lovecraft collection is some good shit, annotated with useful notes and explanations and ordered in a way that almost tells an overarching narrative across all the short stories.

I highly recommend it to anyone who likes or think they may like Lovecraft's work.

with kindle unlimited you could read a bunch of classics like

1984

"In 1984, London is a grim city where Big Brother is always watching you and the Thought Police can practically read your mind. Winston is a man in grave danger for the simple reason that his memory still functions. Drawn into a forbidden love affair, Winston finds the courage to join a secret revolutionary organization called The Brotherhood, dedicated to the destruction of the Party. Together with his beloved Julia, he hazards his life in a deadly match against the powers that be."

jane austen novels

Slaughterhouse Five by kurt vonnegut

I haven't actually read any of these although I really want to read 1984 soon because its supposed to be a classic and really good. :)

I've read and watched both versions, as well, and the ending they describe is exactly what takes place in the movie, including a more brief description of Domingo.

I absolutely recommend the book, too, of course. It has a more cerebral charm in addition to the truly quotable prose. The movie is more of a shared experience.

As far as I know, the two main English translations of Journey to the West are Anthony Yu's version and Arthur Waley's version

Its a great story and its an awesome read. Waley's version (just called "Monkey") is a bit more abridged, but its easier to read, and I'd recommend starting with that one.

Good deal. It looks like file conversions have improved a bit, so you may have some options. I looked around, and I do have an extra copy of Mythology: Timeless Tales of God's and Heroes by Edith Hamilton. It's paperback and in almost like new condition. Shoot me a msg if you are interested. Totally free on your end. It's no biggie either way.

I always thought "at least it is better than standard christian heaven." The idea of sitting around doing nothing by worshiping Jesus for eternity sounded awful.

I was always intrigued by the story of Jonathan Livingston Seagull. It is a strange tale, but an interesting twist on reincarnation and life's meaning. Since reading it in elementary school, I always thought it more interesting than Mormon Heaven

Like others have said, this is obviously participation bias. Those who purchase the book are likely to rate it highly.

You can see the exact same thing has happened with Milo's book, Dangerous. It's currently sitting at 4.9 stars from over 2000 reviews, which is just as ridiculous as Hillary's book having 4.8 from over 1,300 reviews.

Milo's book has 4.9/5 stars from 1,657 verified purchases (2,005 total).

Hillary's has 4.8/5 stars from 1,356 verified purchases (1,408 total).

Compare this to The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri sitting at 4.2/5 from 961 verified purchases (1,251 total).

I don't think anyone's saying that either of these books are better written than The Divine Comedy, just that both books are bought by fans of those people, who are likely to rate the books highly afterwards.

The Left Hand of Darkness <- Ursula Le Guin is wonderful.

Fire Upon the Deep/A Deepness in the Sky by Vinge <- The literal best alien writing I can think of.

I think you will learn the most by reading five textbooks, such as A History of Philosophy, volumes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5; or something like Metaphysics: The Fundamentals, The Fundamentals of Ethics, Theory and Reality: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science, An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion, and An Introduction to Political Philosophy.

If what you have in mind is more of a "Great Books" program to get your feet wet with some classic works that are not too difficult, you could do a lot worse than:

• Plato's Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, and Phaedo, often published together under the title The Trial and Death of Socrates. Socrates is so important that we lump together all Greek philosophers before him as "the Presocratics," and this cycle of dialogues is a great window on who he was and what he is famous for.
  
• The Basic Works of Aristotle. "The philosopher of common sense" is not a particularly easy read. Cicero compared his writing style to "a flowing river of gold," but all the works he prepared for publication are gone, and what we have is an unauthorised collection of lecture notes written in a terse, cramped style that admits of multiple interpretations. Even so, one can find in Aristotle a very attractive system of metaphysics and ethics which played a major role in the history of philosophy, and holds up well even today.
  
• René Descartes, Discourse on the Method and Meditations on First Philosophy. Descartes is called the father of modern philosophy, not so much because modern philosophers have widely followed his particular positions (they haven't) but because he set the agenda, in a way, with his introduction of methodological scepticism.
  
• David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. I think Elizabeth Anscombe had it right in judging Hume a "mere brilliant sophist", in that his arguments are ultimately flawed, but there is great insight to be derived from teasing out why they are wrong.
  
• If I can cheat just a little more, I will lump together three short, important treatises on ethics: Immanuel Kant's Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism, and Anscombe's paper "Modern Moral Philosophy".

For The Hobbit, do yourself a favor and grab a copy of The Annotated Hobbit by Doug Anderson! Gives you a decent bio on Tolkien, the backdrop for how The Hobbit came to be, and a running commentary throughout that is pure awesome. A treasure you'll read multiple times guaranteed!

Not sure if anything like it exists for LOTR. If so, I'd love to know!

>Even before (and it'd have to be true, right?) July 4, 1776, there was a distinctly 'American' flavor of the Anglo-Saxon identity that existed among the otherwise 'British' people who colonized the area and took swathes of it away from competing Dutch and French claims on the aboriginal people's territories.

true, Albion's Seed is a particularly interesting book on the English roots of some aspects of American culture

> some flavoring from the 18th, 19th, and 21st century additions of Europe and Latin America.

as well as Africa, an oft ignored source of many modern American traditions

>How valid do you think a "Macedonian" identity is?

a popular conspiracy theory (may even be true in some part, not sure) is that Tito created it

http://www.cc.ece.ntua.gr/~conster/English/PageData/mac_tito.htm

I have made it through most of these and by and large they are all good (in different ways) and worth reading.

IMHO, the list is fantasy-biased and could use more sci-fi.

I prefer [The Annotate Alice] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Annotated-Alice-Definitive-Edition/dp/0393048470) as it contains information and back story that helps lend context to parts of the story.

I don't know if I can in good conscience recommend A Game of Thrones until the series is finished: you'll become hooked, pick up the next book and soon be in the state of waiting (so much waiting) for GRRM to publish the next one.

Ok, so I think I've found the right edition of the Silmarillion. However, I can't help but notice that despite there being two different versions of the Hobbit (the one with gold and the one without) the cover in the picture you linked is cropped differently than most copies I've found of either the gold one or the black one. That just threw me off guard a bit. I suppose if a website's stock image doesn't have the hideous gold edge then I can assume that I'll get the one with the black spine. I really wish sites were more telling in what product you'll actually get. I feel like I'm about to step on a landmine whenever I order a book online.

Anyway, do you suppose that this is the edition of the hobbit that goes with these editions of the LOTR and Silmarillion?

https://www.amazon.com/J-R-R-Tolkien-Hobbit-114th-20/dp/B00HTK1YPE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469236620&sr=8-1&keywords=the+hobbit+alan+lee

https://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0618260587?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

https://www.amazon.com/J-R-R-Tolkien-Ted-Nasmith-Silmarillion/dp/B00HTK3Y7A/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1469237448&sr=1-2&keywords=the+silmarillion+ted+nasmith

Sorry for all the questioning, and thank you for being so helpful.

I bought the set in question in 2012, and this is the link to the item's page from my order history: The Lord of the Rings https://www.amazon.com/dp/0618260587/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_2A2MAb4VAWVGD

I believe it's the same as the one you posted, so I say go for it! The price sounds right and the picture is accurate. Amazon's reviews have a way of getting jumbled. And if it's not right, their returns are a breeze on Prime-eligible items. Good luck! It's an absolutely beautiful set of books.

In that case you may want to check out some of the annotated editions. I know ST Joshi's Annotated Lovecraft (Vol. 1 and Vol. 2) are popular here. This annotated collection by Klinger looks solid as well, and includes more illustrations than Joshi's. Neither of these are 100% complete collections but are pretty close and cover all of the best/most popular/most influential writings. I'm not sure there are any annotated editions that include all of his works.

I can't speak for near term prospects, but if you're interested in potential ramifications, check out the latter stories in Asimov's I, Robot. Even assuming perfect supercomputers, it's not as clear-cut as it seems.

(also: "influence affecting it", if you care)

At the end they talked about magical realism lit and didn't offer any titles that I heard. If you are interested in pursuing that this book might interest you (and when I say it might interest you I would like to imply this book completely blew my mind maybe more than any other book I ever read):

One Hundred Years of Solitude; Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

http://www.amazon.com/Mythology-Timeless-Tales-Gods-Heroes/dp/0446574759

This book provides a decent introduction to all the major Greek myths. I'd recommend it as a starting point. Then, once you're fairly familiar with the major characters of the mythology, you can have a better appreciation of things like The Iliad and The Odyssey. It does include an abridged version of both of those, though, so you may or may not want to skip those parts until you read the full versions.

Although many people have read it, I absolutely loved 1984. I read this book for school last year, and it was mind-boggling. It changed my life. :)

I'd like this book, please :)

Geared more towards the music side of your question, I'd recommend Aaron Copland's What to Listen for in Music. Great little summary of how to approach music from an untrained listener's perspective. Accessible to non-musicians in his writing style and theory, as well as very broad so as to be applied to almost any kind of music. Just bear in mind it was written in the 50s.

I'm sure most libraries would have a copy.

I have a few favorites. These are more really short stories to read in a day rather than a short book.

First Jonathan Livingston Seagull One of my favorite books of all time and it takes an hour or so to read.


Second The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and other short stories

I read and greatly enjoyed Arthur Waley's translation. The translator did a fantastic job keeping the tone consistent with how the book was intended, and it basically felt like I was reading Ancient Chinese Loony Tunes.

"Monkey" is the only abridge version of Journey to the West I can recommend.

I own a revised edition of Journey to the West that I picked up early last year. It's the most modern version of Journey to the West. Alex Yu's translation is the best one out there. Wu Cheng'en's translation used to be recommend. If you were to compare both translations together, Wu Cheng'en's is a bit dated.

That's what I thought initially, but there is no indication of that whatsoever with any of the sellers. Plus, usually there is a separate category for "collectible."

The book itself is actually kind of a... oh, I don't know, a Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them sort of thing - a book from another book (Illusions: Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah [not religious]). Excellent read, by the way. Same author that wrote the more popular Jonathan Livingston Seagull.

You could check out The Annotated Hobbit. Won't help you for LotR, but it will certainly make The Hobbit more interesting, not that it needs to be! ;)

The New Annotated book is pretty great as well. https://www.amazon.com/New-Annotated-H-Lovecraft-Books/dp/0871404532

That Osho library is indeed incredible. My favorites of his are his talks on the Dhammapada as well as the Discipline of Transcendence, not to mention his jokes!

Regarding opening a book and finding what you need, Richard Bach referred to that possibility in his book Illusions. It's a quick read. He wrote Jonathan Livingston Seagull which you might also enjoy. That first came out in 1970 and I remember my grandfather reading it in the 1970s.

> but it's important to remember that in a very real sense, pre-revolution British history is also American history. We may not emphasize that part of the narrative in many history classes (I think that's a mistake), but the transference of fundamental ideas and attitudes in politics and culture is undeniable.

The best book on this is Albion's Seed by David Hackett Fischer.

You are amazing for this!!
My brother broke his tablet about 2 weeks after he got it, so I gave him mine to use, and the Nook Simple Touch that I got as a gift is no longer working. Now I am left without anything to read my ebooks on besides the PC (Which is uncomfortable) and a Kindle Fire would be amazing. I think for the book... I'd have to say... 1984 would be the book I would want. I have yet to read it, and it's my girlfriend's favorite book and she wants me to read it.

> Even the bulk of the popular culture that Britain enjoys now, in music for example, arose in the melting pot of the US, not Britain

I'm not sure what's popular in GB now, but if this is true, it doesn't disprove my point. Over the years, the US has established its own culture, and has become its own country, both literally and figuratively. And that culture has definitely been influenced by many different others--the 'melting pot'--but it still was borne, originally, of GB.

If you're not convinced but you're interested in this topic, check out this awesome book, Albion's Seed.

The great American composer Aaron Copland wrote a lovely book that may serve as a primer for you. What to Listen For In Music

A few years back I found this book at Barnes and Noble that was extremely helpful. It doesn't have all of his works, but it has all of the most well known and even a few of the lesser known ones. Lovecraft does use a lot of words that tend to be archaic to us, but there are also a lot of references he makes that aren't easily understandable anymore. This book helps with both.

https://www.amazon.com/New-Annotated-H-Lovecraft-Books/dp/0871404532

The Princess Bride is one of my favorite books. It is on Kindle and enrolled in KU if you'd like to start with a free temporary borrow rather than buying right out.

https://www.amazon.com/Princess-Bride-Morgensterns-Classic-Adventure-ebook/dp/B003IEJZRY

This may be slightly off-topic but you could read Siddharatha by Herman Hesse. The book is entirely about self-realization, and the name Siddha-artha itself means "finding what you are searching for".

Edit: Another book on similar lines (although a lot more dense) is Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance. I read it many years ago but it definitely left a big impact. The wikipedia summary is quite good.

John Ciardi's is excellent. That was the translation I had to get for high school and college. Good footnotes and introductions as well as a three line rhyming scheme.

Amazon Link

It's the same as when you taste a blueberry you know it's a blueberry or when you put chocolate in your mouth it's chocolate. No one eats chocolate and goes, 'My chemo-receptors are working adequately and I am sensing chocolate'! You're not Data from Star Trek, but what you're experiencing is the loss of your humanity. You gotta take a first step and if you can't start with a Christian book because maybe you've been hurt by some or can't stand hypocrisy. God knows I can't and knows I'm not there yet. Then start here, here (CS Lewis is a Christian and I gurantee you it'll speak to what you're going through) or here. Yet, you will never know how to awake with this philosophy. If you can't get out and someday come to the end of yourself then call on the name of Jesus. Your suffering must be very great to make reality as such so you can bare it. You must be very strong.

Edit: When you read let the book let it be the subject and you be the object. It's called formation reading. Let it become something that is speaking to you. This alone will help you start to move away from just subjective thought and action. Instead of the text being an object we control and manipulate according to our own insight and purposes, the text becomes the subject of the reading relationship; we are the object that is shaped by the text. Just make sure you're reading good stuff when you do this.. don't do this with like google news

Self help books never did much for me. I personally think reading literature that is more challenging or out of your element is more useful for general self help.
Not really a self help book , but I'll plug Siddhartha by Herman Hesse here if you haven't read it. Did more for me than any self help book I researched.

Quite a few books have been referenced in interviews - here's some of the ones I think I remember. They're all very good books despite any association with Radiohead, by the way.

How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found

http://www.amazon.com/How-Disappear-Completely-Never-Found/dp/087947257X

The Crying of Lot 49 (also V. and Gravity's Rainbow)

http://www.amazon.com/Crying-Lot-Perennial-Fiction-Library/dp/006091307X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411238673&sr=1-1&keywords=crying+of+lot+49

1984

http://www.amazon.com/1984-Signet-Classics-George-Orwell/dp/0451524934/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411238702&sr=1-1&keywords=1984

The Hitchhiker Guide

http://www.amazon.com/Hitchhikers-Guide-Galaxy-Douglas-Adams/dp/0345391802/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411238721&sr=1-2&keywords=hithchiker%27s+guide+to+the+galaxy

The Divine Comedy

http://www.amazon.com/Divine-Comedy-Inferno-Purgatorio-Paradiso/dp/0451208633

No Logo

http://www.amazon.com/No-Logo-Anniversary-Edition-Introduction/dp/0312429274

Brave New World

http://www.amazon.com/Brave-New-World-Aldous-Huxley/dp/0060850523

Cat's Cradle

http://www.amazon.com/Cats-Cradle-Novel-Kurt-Vonnegut/dp/038533348X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411239309&sr=1-1&keywords=cat%27s+cradle

Stanley Donwood

http://www.amazon.com/Slowly-Downward-Collection-Miserable-Stories/dp/0954417739/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411239324&sr=1-2&keywords=slowly+downward

http://www.amazon.com/Household-Worms-Richard-Jones/dp/1906477558/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=088RY3YE1BENWJPAV5DY

I have never read it and would love a copy!

link

Thank you so much!

The Most Beautiful House in the World

• Gives an interesting perspective on space, intention, and what makes a house a home (to me, your mileage may vary).
  
  Invisible Cities
  
  
• Can't really explain it other than pure imagination fuel.

I'm not sure if this fits your guidelines, as they were pretty vague. The Annotated Hobbit is a great resource. Available on Amazon for $20.

Ishmael (and the rest of the series) by Daniel Quinn opened my eyes in my senior year of high school.

It's about a Gorilla, who has lived beside man for a number of decades and teaches a pupil through stories and analogies about how we are already at the cusp of civilization collapse. It's about a lot more than just that, namely the relationship of humans, animals, the planet, and how humans have a unique, egotistical view of themselves where we deemed ourselves rulers of the planet.

Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins is an eye opener as well.

Other great reads:

Magicians of the Gods by Graham Hancock.

Necronomicon

UFO's by Leslie Keen

Siddhartha - Herman Hesse

I also really enjoyed the Myst series by Rand & Robin Miller (the books the game is based on). It's about worlds within worlds and an ancient race of authors creating worlds through magical ink and books (sci-fi/fantasy).

I don't think it's comprehensive but I love this annotated collection by Leslie S. Klinger. Here.

​

Edit: And apparently he's coming out with a followup to it soon.

How about something in Braille? :)

Or perhaps Jonathan Livingston Seagull - it was The Shit back in the 70s, and take about half an hour to read (lots of pictures).

I personally recommend this edition of Epictetus's writings as it includes the Enchiridion (manual) as well as his Discourses in a very smooth and recent translation. While I can't claim that Epictetus is the single definitive comprehensive source of Stoicism, his writings are certainly canonical.

> One very useful feature is that the relevant sections in Aristotle's works are listed at the beginning of chapters so you can easily look them up.

I've discovered that Basic Writings of Aristotle includes all of the relevant sections Lear focuses on (not just the ones he lists in the beginning), except Parts of Animals and Generation of Animals, which isn't exactly the most important ones.

I've personally enjoyed the translation of "The Basic Works of Aristotle" which gives you most all of Aristotle and is a standard translation. It can be found here on Amazon. Alternatively, you could read the Sachs translations, which attempt to return to the full meaning and weirdness which is present in the original Greek. This shows up most with him translating, the word which is commonly translated as actuality, as "being-at-work". And, in the case of entelechia, "being-at-work-staying-itself". Or at least that's what I recall, don't have the edition with me presently. Personally I would recommend reading the basic to get acquainted with the more common terminology, and, then, after getting a general grasp, reading the Sachs and seeing how your understanding works with the terms he uses.

Edit: I do strictly prefer the Sachs for Nicomachean Ethics

Every ebook in the Prime Reading library is available to Prime members, at least in the US.


For example, the ebook 1984 lists a price of $0.00 for the Kindle version.

I have two options where the 'buy' link is normally found. The first button is labeled "Read for free." That's the button you should press.

The second button is labeled, "Buy now for $9.99". Amazon likes to try to sell you stuff it is already provided you for free. Yes, that's dumb and annoying and they should not do that

When you install the Kindle app on your phone or tablet, you will register it to your Prime account. Then you can browse the Prime Reading library from your phone or tablet, or your desktop PC.

When browsing from my desktop PC, if I click the "Read for free" button I am registering the lending to a specific device I have already registered for my Prime account.

So, for example, everyone in my family borrows Prime ebooks. We can all use the desktop PC in our home to pick books and mark them to be borrowed on our individual tablet or phone. Then we open the Kindle app on our tablet or phone and the app naturally checks to see an ebook is waiting and it downloads the ebook.

This is my personal favorite copy of The Lord of the Rings. It's a hardback illustrated by Alan Lee, and it is gorgeous.

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=22538775469&searchurl=tn%3Dlord%2Brings%2Billustrated%2Balan%2Blee%26sortby%3D17%26an%3Dj%2Br%2Br%2Btolkien&cm_sp=snippet-_-srp1-_-title2

For The Hobbit I'm partial to this edition:

https://www.amazon.com/Hobbit-There-Back-Again/dp/0395177111

Although the one illustrated by Alan Lee is also quite good.

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=22756076172&searchurl=kn%3Dthe%2Bhobbit%2Balan%2Blee%26sortby%3D17&cm_sp=snippet-_-srp1-_-title4

If you're looking for a copy of The Silmarillion, I don't think you can beat the edition illustrated by Ted Nasmith.

https://www.amazon.com/Silmarillion-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0618391118/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1518652329&sr=1-1&keywords=nasmith+silmarillion

I started reading buddhist texts, and realized that it's generally morally superior to the christianity that I was raised with. Then I explored other religions more, started drawing parallels, realized it was all made up and became atheist. =)

edit

Of note, the book that kicked things off for me was Siddhartha.

Thank you so much for this guy. Definitely my favourite episode so far.

Have either of you read I, robot?

i would love to hear what you think of Asimove's future.

I want one because my E-Book broke, after I used it for 3 years. I want another kindle instead of a nook, just because I love amazon. 1984 is one of my favorite books. I could also use it as a tablet for games and other things.

Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino

Marco Polo is at the end of his career, describing the many wondrous cities he's seen in his travels to the emperor. With each description, he captures the essential essence of the place. A city whose buildings are remembered like the notes of a song. A city whose past is recorded on the walls and floors. The emperor shows incredibility at the facts of what Marco Polo says, but both of them share an understanding of the underlying truths of his worlds.

Told as a series of one-page descriptions of imaginary cities with the occasional framing scene, this book isn't a novel or collection of short stories, but almost a longer-form version of what Borges set out to do in so many of his shorts.

Here's one that I hold in as high esteem as Jacobs, Mumford, and any other typical "must read" for planning, despite being magical-realist fiction: Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino.

Framed by the story of Marco Polo telling Kubla Kahn of his travels, he describes 55 cities each in their own prose poem, sometimes just a paragraph long. He imagines cities where all connections between people are represented by physical strings; traveling cities; cities that never stop building, etc. etc.

Much like Jane Jacobs, it brings a human element to something that is often studied from a technical lens. It will inspire passion and imagination, and will offer a very unique perspective to some urban planning ideas. Don't let the short length fool you - it is very dense, and should be absorbed slowly.

My favorite book is 1984 and my favorite book series is Harry Potter!

Favorites:

Wizard and Glass -King

American Gods -Gaiman

Inside Delta Force -Haney

Zoe's Tale -Scalzi

20,000 Leagues -Verne

Obscure:

Monkey - Wu..... Seriously, one of my all time favorite reads.

The Complete Book of Swords -Sabrehagen

Eyes of Horus -Grant

Do you mean The Princess Bride? It's readily available on Amazon in multiple formats. I see it at Barnes & Noble pretty much every time I go there.

Not to sound too nerdy about it, but this is interesting when put into the historical context of early American frontier migration patterns. Many Tennessean families started as Virginians then moved west (often to Texas). However, there were several competing cultures migrating at the time. Of relevance here, the southern planter elite rubbed up on and competed with the borderlander/Appalachians. You can almost draw a line straight west from Charleston South Carolina to the Mississippi river and have an approximate border between these groups. Without going into more detail, I think we can safely rely on caricatures of the rich southern gentleman in formal attire versus the back-country plain-speaking fella in deer skins. They weren't fond of each other.

Anyway, the map's mention of Virginia as "Family" and Texas as "My First Job" are exactly what you'd expect given Eastern Tennessee's place in the history. Then Kentucky is implied to be similar to Tennessee (just not as good), which is also entirely consistent. I suspect some of the modern antagonism between TN and AL is not 100% because of football. Perhaps old cultural tensions and the fact that AL was a battleground in this regard are deeper factors. Similar cultural contrasts can be seen between, say, Houston and Dallas--or so I've heard.

Someone else here even commented "I BELIEVE HILTON HEAD IS TOO RICH FOR OUR APPALACHIAN BLOOD". Ha!

Apologies for rambling. If anyone wants to learn more, here ya go:

• http://www.amazon.com/Bound-Away-Virginia-Westward-Movement/dp/0813917743
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Albions-Seed-British-Folkways-Cultural/dp/0195069056
  
• http://www.amazon.com/American-Nations-History-Regional-Cultures-ebook/dp/B0052RDIZA

Truth. I got this for my birthday from my ex a couple years ago and it's one of my favorite things. If you haven't, check out August Derleth's stuff on the Cthulhu Mythos, as well.

Alright, I'll have to go with... 1984. This is a great idea!

yes! did you read albion's seed or thomas sowell's black redneck, white liberal?

john fonte Walter Russell Meade (?)talks about your tradition as the "Crabgrass jacksonian" tradition

neat

Off the top of my head, I'd recommend "Einstein's Dreams," by Alan Lightman. You may also like Italo Calvino's "Invisible Cities" and "If on a winter's night a traveler."

For Epictetus, may I recommend the Robin Hard translation. It's by far the best IMO.

The John Ciardi one.

It keeps the original rhyming structure, which must have been really hard to do when translating from Italian to English. It isn't really rigid English like some of the other translations that can make your brain get tired after reading for a while. And most importantly it has notes for each chapter. Dante himself is the main character, and he writes in a bunch of actual people from in and around Italy during his lifetime, so reading the notes really helps understand a lot of the references to people/places/things in the book. I just read the notes before I read each chapter so I knew as I read it what was going on.

Read Siddhartha.

http://www.amazon.com/Siddhartha-Hermann-Hesse/dp/0553208845

Actually, read everything by Herman Hesse. He's fantastic.

Disclaimer: Not an official anything, but he does a good job.

Edith Hamilton's Mythology is sorta the gold-standard.

http://www.amazon.com/Mythology-Timeless-Tales-Gods-Heroes/dp/0446574759/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344887870&sr=8-1&keywords=edith+hamilton+mythology

But I'm also a big fan of Gustav Schwab's Gods and Heroes of Ancient Greece

http://www.amazon.com/Heroes-Ancient-Pantheon-Folklore-Library/dp/0375714464/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344887910&sr=1-2&keywords=gods+and+heroes

If you haven't already read it, you could pick up The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin. It's topical for your experiment because it explores gender, or rather its lack. It's also fairly short and brilliantly written.

Here are the ebook versions!

Ready Player One

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - FREE

No Country for Old Men

Princess Bride

One Hundred Years of Solitude, which the New York Times called "the first piece of literature since the Book of Genesis that should be required reading for the entire human race."

Also it won Marquez the Nobel Prize in 1982.

Paperback.

Goodreads.

Wikipedia.

There is no official eBook version.

Just in case Turkish helps anyway:
http://www.idefix.com/kitap/ilahi-komedya-cehennem-araf-cennet-3-cilt-takim-dante-alighieri/tanim.asp?sid=N7RM4ES0DL1ETQHE4P65

For English, I'm told this is very good:
http://www.amazon.com/Divine-Comedy-Inferno-Purgatorio-Paradiso/dp/0451208633

I've been wanting to start reading Levinas with this introduction.

My favorite book is Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino because with each chapter he constructs such a beautifully foreign world that I get lost in my imagination - which is really what fiction is for, imho.

If I had to choose one, I'd probably pick this because I would really love it for my Alice In Wonderland book collection!

I can't do it here, but may I suggest you find a copy of The Annotated Alice,, which does - and is a fascinating read in other ways?

https://www.amazon.com/Annotated-Alice-Definitive-Lewis-Carroll/dp/0393048470

I'm a gimpcel (Is that even a word? It is now!), and I loved the Greek myths as a child. A shameless plug for the two books on the subject that I read dozens of times as a boy:

• Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths by Bernard Evslin
  
• Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes by Edith Hamilton
  
  When I first learned about Hepheastus, I remember giggling and clapping my hands like I had just won a prize. Here was a character I could totally relate to--and he was a Greek God! Imagine my disappointment when he was presented as a living joke.
  
  Even though I didn't understand the nuances of relationships and sex at the time (I was about 8 and hadn't hit puberty), reading about Aphrodite swooning over Ares and "desiring him" really made me angry. I'm not sure if that was the intent the ancients were going for--what we find offensive, or funny, mostly applies to our era--but it still felt like a tremendous injustice. It might've even been the first time I felt romantic jealousy. Not a pleasant memory, but an important life lesson.

Uhh... well... erm... no. The Inferno is terrific, and the Purgatorio was pretty good, but the Paradisio is nearly unreadable. It seriously took me about 20 minutes to a half hour to read each stanza, and even then they only made sense with the summary and definitions provided in my translation.

I would recommend this translation.

The most basic source is said to be Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America, one of which is the one from which the South's "honor culture" came, and that our blacks learned.

And my mother is Cajun, grew up on a rice farm in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana does tend to be a particularly unique part of America, not sure how many lessons you could usefully draw from your corner of it to the rest of the South. And I'm from the SW corner of Missouri that's culturally South, also unique in being at a meeting place of the West and Midwest.

Some of my favorites:

• Noir - K.W. Jeter
  
• Macroscope - Piers Anthony
  
• Armor - John Steakley
  
• Protector - Larry Niven
  
• I Robot - Isaac Asimov
  
• Neuromancer - William Gibson
  
• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick
  
• The Fall of Reach (Halo) - Eric Nylund
  
• Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein
  
• Cachalot - Alan Dean Foster
  
• Islands in the Net - Bruce Sterling
  
• Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
  
• Reality Dysfunction - Peter F. Hamilton
  
  I tried to get as many different authors as possible in there. Many of those authors have plenty of really good books you shouldn't miss.