(Part 3) Reddit mentions: The best classic literature & fiction books

I have been struggling with the same thing, after years of being what some people might think of as a bit of a workaholic, once I got to “Now I can’t work, what do I do” (After I got done struggling with “Now I can’t work, who am I), this is what I came up with:

 


Exercise: Everything I have read thus far, highly encourages persons with MS to get as much exercise as they can get. All of the stories I read about MS that make you think “I would like to experience what that person is experiencing” start out with “I got MS, and I thought my life was over, but then I got very serious about sleep, diet, and exercise”) This gentlemen just posted a very nice one on this very subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/MultipleSclerosis/comments/ca5lem/something_uplifting_after_two_and_a_half_years_i/
One of the challenges for me was as someone who used to be fairly athletic years ago, for me exercise was a way to enjoy the wonders the human body was capable of, and going for a short, shuffling walk at the end of which I was exhausted felt… I don’t know, not great. At that point I went to a talk on MS and one of the doctors that was speaking talked about the importance of exercise, and relayed a series of stories about exercise and MS. One of them was about a gentlemen who had lost the use of everything but his left arm. His words were something like “That arm is one of the most important things going on in my practice, it’s the arm he uses to order food, to facetime with his children…”, and then he went on to describe the stretching and exercise he would do to try to preserve as much function as possible.
Some days of course are better than others, on the good ones I try to get in as much exercise as possible. On the bad ones, well I can do less, but I try to do what I can. One thing that has helped for me is thinking of the MS like a foe. It wants to destroy you, take things away, crippled you (I realize this is silly anthropomorphizing, but I feel like it helps me maintain a good state of mind). On the days I feel good, it makes it easier to go out and do what exercise I can, it feels like I am gaining on my foe. On my bad days, I think “Alright, you got me today, but let’s see how I feel tomorrow, perhaps the MS leaves a hole and I can slip through”. Somehow approaching it this way makes me feel slippery and determined, rather than crippled.

 



Reading: When I was younger I read a great deal, but it fell off as my career picked up. I got to a point where I would only read a handful of books a year. Now with more time, I have been spending more time with a book.
I recently finished Sapiens, and very much enjoyed it: https://www.amazon.com/Sapiens-Humankind-Yuval-Noah-Harari/dp/0062316095
I am now working my way through the histories of Herodotus (and am finding them fascinating): https://www.amazon.com/Landmark-Herodotus-Histories-Robert-Strassler/dp/1400031141/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=landmark+histories&qid=1562946514&s=books&sr=1-1

 


Watching: The wife and I watch some TV together, and we have both been on history kick. We have been watching some of the great courses, and really enjoying the experience. Some of our favorites:
https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/show/the_rise_of_rome?tn=Also+By+This+Professor_0_3 Everything I have seen by Greg Aldrete is good, he seems to conduct creditable scholarship (For example, he calls out when historians disagree on some topic, shares the views of both camps, and THEN shares his thoughts), and he tells a fantastic story.
https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/show/living_history_experiencing_great_events_of_the_ancient_and_medieval_worlds?tn=The+Great+Courses+Plus+Online+History+Courses+_0_70 Robert Garland takes moments out of history and works to make them come alive. I would argue that (at least for me) he succeeds spectacularly in this series.
https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/food-a-cultural-culinary-history The history of food, and history told with an eye to how everything has been shaped by food.
In addition to these, there are countless other good ones. As someone who purchased some great courses in the past (at what were some fairly exorbitant prices even on their sales), I very much like their new subscription model where you pay a fee each month and have access to everything. You can try out a lecture and see if you enjoy the lecturer style.

 


Gaming: Weirdly, being sick has destroyed a lot of the fun of gaming for me. Before I got sick, gaming was a thing I enjoyed “After I did my work”. Now that I don’t have work to be done with, someone how I don’t feel like I have “Earned the right to game”. Not saying this makes sense, necessary, but of course we feel how we feel. I have continued to play EVE Online (which I played before I got sick), albeit at a much lazier pace. I played through much of the latest Zelda with my 6 year old, which was fun, and recently played through FAR: Lone Sails which is a quiet, atmospheric puzzle solving game that involves piloting a vehicle through a post apocalyptic wasteland. Despite that description, I feel like the game is more soothing then it is anything else. It’s beautiful made, it was an enjoyable experience.

 


In addition to this jazz, I have of course been spending time with my wife and children. After my last flare I was spending a lot (almost all) of my time in the house, and more recently I have been making plans to see friends. Because my energy does not last so long, I have been trying to do lunches, perhaps meet a friend on their lunch break at work. The lack of outside the family adult contact once I stopped working has been weighing on me, and having a chat with an old friend has been a real boost.

Welcome to the subreddit, Sadmonad.

When it comes to Mesopotamian "Genesis" accounts, there are actually four different versions that we currently know about, each of which is unique, while also sharing a pool of overlapping motifs. The four accounts are:

• The Eridu Genesis, a Sumerian language myth
  
• Enki and Ninmah, a Sumerian language myth
  
• Atrahasīs, an Akkadian language myth
  
• Enûma Elish, an Akkadian language myth
  
  The "Eridu Genesis" and "Enki and Ninmah" were probably composed during the Third Dynasty of Ur, circa 2100 BCE, but likely represent an older oral Sumerian tradition. "Atrahasīs," and the "Enûma Elish" come from the Old Babylonian Period, circa 1800 BCE, and represent a blend of Sumerian and Akkadian cultural motifs.
  
  Regarding Zechariah Sitchin's so-called "translations," I'll say, first and foremost, that Sitchin has no real experience with ancient languages, and all modern scholars dismiss his "translation" as erroneous. In truth, what the texts actually say is usually far more interesting than what Zechariah Sitchin wants you to think they say.
  
  I'll do my best to summarize, below, the various accounts of the creation of human beings.
  
  
• The account of creation usually occurs in one or another of Mesopotamia's holy cities. In the "Eridu Genesis" it is the city of Nibru (Nippur); in "Enki and Ninmah" it is the fabled land of Dilmun (Bahrain); and in "Enûma Elish" it is Bābilim (Babylon).
  
• The motive for the creation of humanity is universally an unequal distribution of labor between the Greater and Lesser Gods. In Akkadian accounts, these two generations of deities are given the generic titles Anunnakkū and Igigū respectively. The sole exception to this rule is the Babylonian creation epic "Enûma Elish," where the impetus for creating humanity is to allow Marduk to display his raw power (more on this below).
  
  Here is where Sitchin's first error comes into play: there is no mining of gold, at all, in any of the "Genesis" texts. The labor that the Gods are performing is the maintenance of Nature: digging canals, directing the course of the Tigris and Euphrates, erecting walls for cities, herding and shepherding, causing the plants and vegetation to sprout, etc.
  
  
• The only solution to the rebellion, according to the Anunnakkū, is to create a new creature who'll do the work previously assigned to the Igigū; that creature is humanity.
  
  Nowhere in any of the accounts are we created to be slaves, or gold-miners. We are created solely to help ease the burden of tending for the Earth and its myriad natural functions. How we're created is a different story though, and each account seems to differ slightly, so I'll outline each below:
  
  ​
  
  Enki and Ninmah
  
  In this myth, clay gathered along the banks of the subterranean freshwater aquifer, ABZU, is given to a coterie of Mother Goddesses who mold it into the first human forms. These forms are assigned a "Fate" by the sea-goddess Namma, and given the task of tending to the Earth by the goddess Ninmah.
  
  Later, Enki, who devised and oversaw our creation, has a drinking contest with Ninmah. Both deities get drunk, and Ninmah challenges Enki to a contest to determine whose powers are superior. The rules are simple: Ninmah will make a series of "defective" humans, and Enki must find a place for each in Sumerian society. If Enki fails, then Ninmah is superior. If Enki succeeds, then he gets to make a series of defective humans, and Ninmah must find a place for them in Sumerian society.
  
  Ninmah creates six defective humans and Enki successfully places them into Sumerian society. Enki, however, creates only one defective human being (essentially an infant), and Ninmah is unable to find a proper place for it. After admitting her defeat, Enki is declared the winner.
  
  A scholarly translation of this text can be read here.
  
  ​
  
  Atrahasīs
  
  This myth begins with an account of the Igigū rebellion. Tired of bearing heavy loads, the Igigū surround the house of Ellil, King of the Anunnakkū, and demand his surrender. Ellil calls for the Great Gods, Ea and Anu, and demands that they solve the problem. Ea (who is an Akkadian cognate of the Sumerian Enki) declares that he can solve the problem, but only if the goddess Ninmah will assist him. Everyone agrees and Ea reveals his plan.
  
  Ea's plan calls for the leader of the Igigū rebellion to be offered up as a sacrifice so that Ea might collect his divine flesh (shirū), blood (damu), and breath (napishtu). These divine ingredients are then mixed with clay and spittle to shape the first human forms. Over these forms, Ninmah recites an incantation that imbues them with intelligence (consciousness, wisdom, sentience, etc). As a result, the human forms develop a ghost (spirit, shade, phantom, etc). As a result of their success, Ninmah is given the title Bēlit-ilī, which means "Lady of All the Gods."
  
  In this account, the sacrificial deity is called Wê, a name that means "intelligence" or "wisdom," and several clever insights can be gained from this. The word for "humanity" in Akkadian is awīlu, a play on the words "wê" and "ilū," which, together, say: the Wisdom (wê) of the Gods (ilū). Further, the "ghost" that is created as a result of Ea's plan is called an eṭimmu, this is also a play on the words "wê" and "ṭēmu," which, together, say: an Intelligent (wê) Design (ṭēmu).
  
  A scholarly translation of this text can be read in Stephanie Dalley's Myths From Mesopotamia.
  
  ​
  
  Enûma Elish
  
  The final account is that found in the Babylonian creation epic. This text is a piece of national propaganda created to foster pride in the city of Babylon and the nation of Babylonia. It is, nearly beat-for-beat, a retelling of the "Atrahasīs" account, with the primary difference being that Marduk, instead of Ea, creates humanity. Marduk also accomplishes this feat independently, without the aid of Ninmah. Otherwise, the two versions are nearly identical in build-up and pay-off.
  
  A scholarly translation of this text can be read in Stephanie Dalley's Myths From Mesopotamia.
  
  ​
  
  As you can see, there is a mystical element to the creation of humanity. However, it is neither consistent, nor so simple as Zechariah Sitchin describes. Personally, I prefer the version found in "Atrahasīs," as it seems to be the most complete, and includes an abundance of mystical themes that can be explored further through theological angles.
  
  If you have any other questions about this topic, don't hesitate to ask.

Most of these recommendations are sort of peripherally queer, so they may not be exactly what you're looking for, but I figured I'd throw them out there in case you're interested.

I admit I'm not a big fan of it, but Virginia Woolf's Orlando is definitely a queer text. The titular character changes from male to female, and the book itself is often read as a love letter to Vita Sackville-West, the woman with whom Woolf had a love affair. I had trouble getting engaged in it myself, but your mileage may vary.

Santa Olivia (and the sequel, Saints Astray) by Jacqueline Carey features a lesbian romance. Not super heavy, but they're fairly quick, fun reads. Carey's Kushiel series (beginning with Kushiel's Dart) might qualify as queer, in that it embraces and celebrates all types of relationships and sexualities (they are set in a society where the gods' most sacred precept is "Love as thou wilt," and bisexuality and open relationships are typical). The primary love stories are heterosexual, but the characters also often engage in same-sex relationships (both sexually and emotionally), and there are supporting characters of various sexual persuasions.

The Tamir Trilogy by Lynn Flewelling is about the rightful heir to the throne in a troubled kingdom. Born female, she was magically disguised as a boy in order to protect her (the usurper king has been making noblewomen disappear in order to protect the succession of his own son). It maybe doesn't explore the consequences of Tobin/Tamir being essentially transgendered as deeply as it could, but it's an interesting and enjoyable read.

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin is a sci-fi classic that plays with gender and sexuality. The basic concept is that, on the planet of Winter, everyone is hermaphroditic. Le Guin's thoughtful exploration of this world was incredibly groundbreaking at the time it was written, and it remains a really enjoyable and thought-provoking read.

Octavia Butler's work also often embraces feminist and queer themes, playing with sexuality and gender. Fledgling and the Xenogenesis Trilogy are some you might find interesting.

The Female Man by Joanna Russ is an explicitly feminist book with some queer themes. It follows women from four alternate realities (one of which is a utopia populated entirely by women) as they cross over into each others' worlds. It's not always an easy read--it can be very fragmetary--but it's totally worth it.

I also just stumbled across this self-proclaimed Gay Fiction Booklist That Doesn't Suck. Some of the above books are listed, and there are a bunch more sci-fi/fantasy titles that might be of interest.

Happy reading!

fear cuts deeper than swords

1.) Something that is grey. probably the best thing invented.


2.) Something reminiscent of rain. who doesn't like doggy rain jackets? :3


3.) Something food related that is unusual. BACON


4.) Something on your list that is for someone other than yourself. Tell me who it's for and why. this item is something i would like to give to my boyfriend as a gift. he finally got his dream car on the road and we both love Judas priest.


5.) A book I should read! I am an avid reader, so take your best shot and tell me why I need to read it! this book is a classic. if you have seen the movie then the book is even better. along with my grandparents being back round actors in the original movie. look the book, love the movies.


6.) An item that is less than a dollar, including shipping... that is not jewelry, nail polish, and or hair related! cause its "cheap stuff"


7.) Something related to cats. I love cats! i would never get bored with this. or tiss on my wishlist :3


8.) Something that is not useful, but so beautiful you must have it. it's useless to me because i don't drink, but it's cool as fuck. (on wishlist, for my sister)


9.) A movie everyone should watch at least once in their life. Why? I loved this movie when i first watched it. it's interesting, keeps you watching and it doesnt start out boring like most "scary movies" do. it's a movie i would suggest to all. (on wishlist)


10.) Something that would be useful when the zombies attack. it explains itself.. but you can hold a lot of stuff while out hunting zombies!


11.) Something that would have a profound impact on your life and help you to achieve your current goals. my mother is a nail tech and i want to go to school as one so i can become one as well. this would help me become better at doing nails while i 'practice' on people.


12.) One of those pesky Add-On items. do you want a stinky toilet?


13.) The most expensive thing on your list. Your dream item. Why? i've always been a huge fan of sugar skulls and i would love this in my room. it's not a dream item but it is the highest priced item on my wishlist. i think it's beautiful.


14.) Something bigger than a bread box. on my wishlist. isn't it pretty? :)


15.) Something smaller than a golf ball. on my wishlist. " a golf ball weighs no more than 1.620 oz (45.93 grams), has a diameter not less than 1.680 in (42.67 mm)" my item is 1.25 in.


16.) Something that smells wonderful. i'm native american so i enjoy burning incense and sage. don't know about you, but it's a wonderful thing to me.


17.) A (SFW) toy. who doesn't like laser pointers? dog people. thats who.


18.) Something that would be helpful for going back to school. fuck, i'm 17 and i'd buy this for myself!


19.) Something related to your current obsession, whatever that may be. i'm obsessed with Judas Priest, as well as my boyfriend. i need to knew sweatshirt and i've been trying to convince my parents to get me this one. Turbo Love by Judas Priest is my boyfriend and I's song to each other, he just got his car on the road so his license plate is dedicated to that song. (wishlist item)


20.) Something that is just so amazing and awe-inspiring that I simply must see it. Explain why it is so grand. you may not think this is so amazing, but holy shit who wouldn't want to fucking float on a donut? i mean paint yourself yellow and just call yourself mothafuckinnn homer simpson! or this you'd have the best skinny dip of your life!

this was really fun! thank you :)

> it is only proving the point that he, as an writer, doesn't care for sales number.

>He SHOULD be worried more than anyone if someone doesn't buy his books because they will think it is a game adaptation.

Either sales matter or they don't. Make up your mind.

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> If sales number matters in a discussion about popularity and not flat fee profitability, it is because this discussion is ours, not Sapkowski's.

You started this discussion by quoting sales figures in response to my post regarding the games' popularity in relation to the books.

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> But I'm discussing about what Sapkowski thinks, and not about what you or me think.

No, you're discussing what you think he thinks.

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> I was not happy at book fairs or conventions, when the fans took my books in my hand, looked at the covers and scornfully put them away. Game related. Games are not interested in us, we will rather have something original, new Abercrombie, Aaronovitch or Tregillis.

What is he describing here? Do they actively go up to him and say out loud to him that they are not interested in his books because they think they are game related, or is he simply attributing their disinterest to that idea?

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> He is talking about the games covers on his books, and not the games themselves nor CDPR;

In that interview. In the one I linked and many others he is talking about the games. From the article:

"I have nothing against the game itself. I think it's a high-level product. All the benefits CDPR received for it are absolutely well-earned. I have nothing against video games in general. I have nothing against the people who play them, even if I don't and never will," Sapkowski says. "The whole animosity started when the game began to spoil my market."

That's him saying the games have started spoiling his market. Not the game art on the cover or the publishers, the games. Yes, he has nothing against the games as products, but he seems to focus more on the negatives their success brings him more than the positives.

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> He EXPLICITLY took off all the blame from CDPR in that regard in other interviews, making sure it is foreign publisher's fault.

Yet, he says this in this interview that was published last month:

"How are some of them supposed to know—especially in Germany, Spain or the US—that my books are not game related? That I'm not writing books based on games? They may not know that, and CDPR bravely conceals the game's origins. It's written in fine print, you need a microscope to see it, that the game is 'based on' [my books].""

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> If he is talking about "losing readers", he is clearly referring, by definition, to people who HAVE NOT bought his books. Of course that if someone bought his books even with that games covers, then this comment does not extent to them.

And just what are you referring to here? What do you think I wrote that would warrant this clarification?

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> But do you think that these game covers will help the books sell for those who have not played the games or aren't gamers themselves? The non-gaming public, which is a far larger target audience, never takes seriously what they consider to be a game adaptation.

This is where you lose me. Yes, the American covers for the Witcher series published by Orbit look like shit, and they do use assets from the games. I disagree about them "looking like adaptations". There are other books that use 3D models on their cover, without it being based on anything else. If you don't know the games well enough to recognize the character models, you're probably not going to make the connection that it is related to a game until you read the back where it says the books inspired the games, and not the other way around.

The covers aren't bad because they use assets from the game. They are bad because they are bad covers. You know what other covers are bad?

http://www.fantasyshop.cz/gfx/upload/fs_ob_200742311542.jpg
https://www.amazon.de/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/279-6489234-9877263?__mk_de_DE=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Sapkowski
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/19/ac/92/19ac92959047dc057381d622be9730df.jpg
http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/witcher/images/6/61/Blood_of_Elves_UK.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110601235454

That last one can't seriously be an actual cover, can it?

Everybody knows the idiom "don't judge a book by its cover" and anyone who's serious about reading abides by that. We've all seen books we know are good with terrible covers, and we've all bought books that looked good on the surfaces that turned out to be shit. Have you been in a fantasy section of a bookstore recently? If you can't look past tacky cover art chances are you aren't that heavily invested in the genre.

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> Tell me, what do you think is a larger public: those who played the games or the average fantasy reader like the ones from LotR, ASOIAF, Harry Potter, Narnia etc. etc?

How modest of you to bring up the absolute biggest fantasy books series as if the Witcher books were destined to be among them, or if interest in those books would translate into interest for the Witcher series if the covers were just differnt.

LotR and the Hobbit popularized the fantasy genre and has as such become somewhat of a definition of . If you have any interest in the genre you are probably going to read it.
Here it is being sold with assets from the movies on the cover.

ASOIAF had sold 60 million copies over 5 books and 3 novellas in 2015 (latest numbers available), while the Witcher game series has sold 25 million copies over 3 titles.
Here it is being sold with assets from the HBO series on the cover.

Harry Potter and Narina are children's books that are well written enough to be enjoyable by those who are older, so naturally they have a much wider demographic that the Witcher series could ever reach without changing it at its core.

Books like that don't become huge hits because of their covers or impulse purchases, but by word of mouth. If a friend recommends a book to you and you see it has a bad cover, will you not read it? If you like it would you not recommend it to your other friends, telling them to ignore the bad cover art?

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> I mean, why do you think he should not worry about his reputation as a serious and authentic fantasy writer, instead of someone who seems to only write games novelizations?

Because as I wrote earlier I think people who don't play the games probably won't make that connection, and in any case anyone qualified to pass that judgement wouldn't be making that mistake. Confused gaming fanboys are not any authority of literature. There are people out there that don't know that the movie Titanic is based on a real event. As any audience grows the amount of idiots within it will also grow.

If someone is looking for serious and authentic fantasy, they look for it by doing research and fishing for recommendations among friends or online, not picking up books at based on cover art because that's just a shot in the dark. A book cover is just an ad, and anyone looking for quality products know to look past the ads and check out the reviews for any quality issues.

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> That other quote about walking through the woods and talking to a squirrel means the same thing that when he says that no adaptation can match the original in terms of storytelling. He is not detracting any medium, he is just stating a well known fact.

That's not a fact, that's an opinion. You can't do it exactly the same, but that doesn't mean you can't do it just as good or better (not saying whether or not the games did do it better in the case of the Witcher). As an example, many of the works of Shakespeare are old folk tales and stories modernized (for the day) and adapted for the stage. Now they are held up as classics because of how he was able to present those stories.

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> Ask it to any book reader, especially to ASOIAF or LotR readers. Likewise, there's no way for a movie or a game to nail the omniscient description of a character's feelings, thoughts or any other circumstance with the same depth that a written word can. Everyone knows it, what is wrong about that?

Again, opinions. By people who identify as readers about their favorite medium. Pictures, movements, sounds, dynamic interactivity, etc can express and reveal things that would be to impossible or trite to put into text. Just because you and a lot of other people might favor depiction in written form does not mean it is an absolute fact.

Here're the books that I absolutely love and return to from time to time:

1. The Beach - Alex Garland. This book places you inside the head of a character in a way that I've never experienced in another read. This book rocked my world when it came out. Reviews.
   
   
2. The Rama series - Arthur C. Clarke. Interested in Sci-Fi? This is Sci-Fi done very right. Reviews.
   
   
3. Return of the King - J. R. R. Tolkien. To get to this one it goes as no surprise that you'll have to read the first two of the trilogy (there are other books as well, but they aren't necessary to read in order to get to Return of the King). Of all books that I've read, I've never had to stop so many times and ask myself, "Who in the world thinks of this stuff?" as I did when I read Return of the King. As wonderful as the movies were they absolutely pale in comparison to the books. They're wordy--they're a bit tough to get into, at first--but goodness gracious are they worth it.
   
   
4. The Great Divorce - C.S. Lewis. Looking for something deeper? This is a short read--100 pages or so--but it is one of the thickest reads you'll ever come across. You'll know what I mean if you read it. Few stories have moved me to tears (good god the feels in this book) the way this one does.
   
   
5. The Name of the Wind & The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss. Sort of a more grown-up version of Harry Potter. Kind of. The third book in the series is supposed to come out next year.
   
   There are so many more. OP if you are interested in reading any of these, send me a message. I have extra copies of all of them (and a few others as well) and I'd be more than happy to get them into the right hands.
   
   Enjoy!

Sartre presented a lecture called "Existentialism and Humanism," which can now be found in print as Existentialism is a Humanism. It's almost like an Existentialism manefesto, per se. The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus is a good treatise on existentialism (Absurdism, really, but it'll do).

I would not hesitate to start reading fiction novels that have Existentialist themes. Camus' The Stranger, Sartre's Nausea, and Dostyevsky's Notes From the Underground are just a few that will find your studies well.

As for secondary literature, the only text I can knowledgeably recommend is Existentialism For Dummies, as I'm currently working my way through it. It's actually not as bad as you might think coming from the "For Dummies" series. It doesn't go too in-depth, and ideas are very concise and oftentimes humorous.

I have also heard good things about David Cogswell's Existentialism For Beginners, though I have never read it myself.

If your niece feels comfortable with this level of writing and philosophical examination, it is almost imperative to read Kierkegaard's Either/Or and Fear and Trembling, Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future, and Sartre's Being and Nothingness, among others. It is good to have some background understanding of Kant and perhaps have a few essays by Schopenhauer under your belt leading up to the more rigorous academics like Heidegger and Hegel.

Good luck, and happy reading!

Hey! Loved Redwall and the other associated stories when I was growing up. I was an avid fan and owned the first 10ish, but the quality of story went down as more came out. :(

Now the real trick is figuring out what you're asking, so I'll take a few stabs. If there is a specific aspect about Redwall you really want to reflect in your new reads let me know and I'll expand the selection. :)

Like Redwall as in intelligent animals:

Light On Shattered Water:
Human finds himself in an alternate dimension where cats evolved instead of humans. I first read in around 2000, and last read it again this year, still very enjoyable.

The Chanur Saga:
Anthropomorphic cat aliens. Pretty decent adventure, though the tech is a little silly but not bad considering it was written in the 80s.

Watership Down:
Rabbits in England trying to live their life. And adventure type stuff happens. A classic for very good reason.

Like Redwall for epic adventure and battles

Malazan Book of the Fallen:
Epic in every way. Hands down my favorite book series. Never has any other book given such a sense of scale to the world. Everything has a history, and Erikson writes in a way that you want to know more, about it all.

His Majesty's Dragon:
I originally only picked up this book because the summary sounded like a joke. Napoleonic era England, insert dragons as the aerial corps. I brought it with to work, read it on my breaks and lunch, and after getting off at 9pm ended up staying at wprl until 5 am to finish it and the second book in the series.

For fairy tales, I recommend the following:

• The Victorian Fairy Tales Book
  
• Norton's The Classic Fairy Tales
  
• Norton's The Great Fairy Tale Tradition
  
• The Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales
  
• My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me
  
• Any and all of Andrew Lang's Colored Fairy Books (the first two focus on collections of well-known tales, but most of them are sort of themed/grouped geographically and have fairy tales from all over the world)
  
• The Complete Fairy Tales of George MacDonald
  
• The Names Upon the Harp: Irish Myth and Legend
  
• I'm a big fan of the various "Annotated" Fairy Tale collections, like the Annotated Brothers Grimm, Annotated Classic Fairy Tales, and Annotated Hans Christen Andersen, though I don't always agree with the editorializing. It's a whole series, so I'm only going to link to a couple.
  
• On that note, look for book collections put together and/or edited by Maria Tatar and Jack Zipes. They're the two most prominent fairy tale scholars at the moment and basically have an unofficial duopoly on the fairy tale academic criticism market.
  
• Also, a special shout-out to P.J. Lynch's illustrated version of East of the Sun and West of the Moon, and really all of the fairy tales books that Lynch illustrates. They're beautiful.
  
  
  For mythology and classical studies, there are a couple that are basically required reading for any Mythology or Classics class. Since several people have already recommended anthologies of Greek myths, I'm going to err more on the "Classics" side of the conversation:
  
  
• Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell
  
• The Odyssey, Homer (I recommend the Fagles translation due to its prominence in academia and its status as one of the best translations of the work)
  
• The Illiad, Homer (again, Fagles translation)
  
• The Aeneid, Virgil (again, Fagles has a translation that's very good). My bias as a Latin student, however, leads me to also recommend Pharr, which has no real use to you if you don't know Latin but it's the most popular all-time textbook version of the Aeneid)
  
• Metamorpheses, Ovid
  
• You also probably want to look at some Greek plays like the Sophoclean Tragedies/Three Thebian Plays

I mostly read speculative fiction, which is typically divided between the subgenres of fantasy, sci-fi, and alternate history. Alternate history is technically considered a subgenre of Sci-Fi, but I read enough of it to make it worth counting as a separate group. Within each of those subgenres, there is a wide variety of styles and some people might find themselves not a fan of one style but a fan of another. If you are not well read in these genres, then you will want to try a few different styles of story before dismissing it. I also sometimes read novelizations of historical events which have their own sort of enjoyment to them that fictional stories lack. Then there are books that are set from an animals point of view, which range from attempts to be as accurate as possible to being practically fantasy stories.

As far as individual books, I will try to give you a few of the best to pick from without being overwhelming. Some are stand alone stories while others are parts of series.

Fantasy single books:

After the Downfall

Fantasy series:

The Dresden Files

A Song of Ice and Fire aka Game of Thrones

Sci-Fi single books:

Slow Train to Arcturus

Mother of Demons

Sci-Fi series:

The Thrawn Trilogy There are a great many Star Wars books worth the read, but this is definitely the place to start.

Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow

Alternate History single books:

The Guns of the South

1824: The Arkansas War Technically this is a sequel to an earlier book, but this one is leagues better and you don't need to read the first book to understand what is going on.

Alternate History series:

How Few Remain

1632

Worldwar

Non-Fiction:

Band of Brothers

War Made New This one isn't even really a novelization, just an analysis of the changes to military technology, tactics, and training over the last 500 years. Regardless, it is very well written and a great read.

Animal POV books:

Watership Down

Wilderness Champion

The Call of the Wild and White Fang These two books are by the same author and go in pretty much opposite directions. Among literature fanatics, there is no consensus over which one is better and I don't think I can decide for myself so I am recommending both.

Edit: I forgot to mention, the first book in the 1632 series is available online for free. This is not a pirated version, but something the author put up himself as a part of an effort to move publishing into the modern day with technology and make books more accessible to readers.

Hmm...

What originally got me into the field, even though it maybe sounds cliche, is the Iliad. Fucking phenomenal story. The Fagles translation is my favorite, although Fitzgerald's is also quite good, and Lattimore's gives you a good sense of the concise directness of the Greek original. There are a few parts you really should just skip for your first reading, though... I can fill you in on those.

Second, Aeschylus' Oresteia, which is fucking awesome, and crazy. And my non-classicist SO says Ted Hughes' translation is the best, so try that one.

Third, Herodotus. The first attempt at historical writing that we have from the western tradition, and full of great stories, great storytelling, and insight into antiquity. Herodotus would probably be near the top of my list of people from ancient Greece or Rome to get a beer with, along with Ovid and Sappho.

There are some good times to be had with the folks of the ancient mediterranean, for sure :)

For future reference, /r/askphilosophy exists for these kinds of questions.

Now, if you're looking for something more narrative that will allow you to get your feet wet, you have a few different options.

Sophie's World is really quite enjoyable, though I suppose its intended audience is probably younger than yourself.

If you're looking for something more mature, you might try philosophical fiction like Camus' The Stranger or Sartre's Nausea. Both are a great way to get into something philosophical without having to worry too much about terminology or technical language.

If you're looking for something more analytic (logic, phil math, phil science, etc.), you might try something like Russell's The Problems of Philosophy. It's a pretty good read and it's short.

If you're looking for a general introduction to philosophy, something more mature than Sophie's World but focused on the history of philosophy as opposed to a particular area, you might want to look at something like Russell's The History of Western Philosophy. If you do get more involved in philosophy, you'll discover that the book has its flaws, and Russell was wrong about several of the philosophers that he discusses, but it's a good introduction to the history of philosophy that is easily accessible if you have the time to sit down and read it.

In terms of which one's are more fun to read, I'd say the philosophical fiction and Sophie's World are at the top, as the other two books are a bit more dry, but if you're looking for something substantive and not too technical, then all of these might serve your purposes.

I hope that helped in some way, and in future, if you have any philosophy related questions, don't hesitate to ask over in /r/askphilosophy.

Good Samaritans are hard to find these days, and I can't write a specific thing I have done, but I try to do many things over the day, wether opening a door, helping someone carry groceries or simply say a nice compliment and make someone's day :) Also I've had people do very nice things for me, so I say THANKS

I would love to read The Great Gatsby

I started with the old Penguin translation which unfortunately lacks things like footnotes to explain stuff. I'd recommend the Landmark edition which, despite being massive, has plenty of maps and footnotes galore that will keep you from getting confused. There's also several appendix which explain many things in greater detail. Can't recommend it enough, just that it's probably pricey. Try to find a used one or a sale, or a library.


Herodotus gets a lot of flack for his errors and inaccuracies (and he has a bunch, his entire chapter on Egypt is horrible) and he wasn't writing a history (as we know it) but to preserve heroic acts and also to entertain (his work was to be read out). But he tells a fantastic story of heroes, courage, piety, divine justice. He's the Spielberg of the Ancient Greek world (Livy is the Roman equivalent).

Well, since you're reading it in its original language (yes?), and no overhauls have been made to the text, every single copy of this book contains the exact same text, from the cheapest paperback, to the nicest quality hardcover.

So the only thing different is the physical aspect of the book, the "book object," and since its a penguin, you're looking at medium-to-good grade craftsmanship. Its not as nice and sturdy as this one or this one, which both have thicker pages and a deckled edge, but if you treat it with respect, it should not fall apart on you, and there should be plenty of room in the margins for notes.

and yes, you will need to take notes in the margin. It will make your second read that much more enjoyable.

and yes, you will want to do a second read.

A good buy! Enjoy it!

The Epic of Gilgamesh was discovered (but not deciphered) by an Assyrian archeologist, Hormuz Rassam who was the first non-European archeologist from the Middle East.

I recently read the Epic of Gilgamesh, and I highly recommend it if you haven't read it already, I really enjoyed this edition by penguin classics. Although the side material in this translation was also nice.

It's also a great gift to give to someone, and for kids I recommend this trilogy (just make sure to buy all three) by Ludmilla Zeman. It is beautifully illustrated with many pictures and was appreciated by the kids.

Edit: Haha, seems like a Chaldean hardliner has changed Hormuzd Rassam's wiki page and now it says Chaldean, it used to say Assyrian.

Yeah, this list is bizarre overall. Ayn Rand? Cory Doctorow? Puh-leeze. And as usual, Ursula LeGuin gets snubbed.

EDIT:

If you've never heard of The Left Hand Of Darkness:
>If there were a canon of classic science fiction, The Left Hand of Darkness would be included without debate. Certainly, no science fiction bookshelf may be said to be complete without it. But the real question: is it fun to read? It is science fiction of an earlier time, a time that has not worn particularly well in the genre. The Left Hand of Darkness was a groundbreaking book in 1969, a time when, like the rest of the arts, science fiction was awakening to new dimensions in both society and literature. But the first excursions out of the pulp tradition are sometimes difficult to reread with much enjoyment. Rereading The Left Hand of Darkness, decades after its publication, one feels that those who chose it for the Hugo and Nebula awards were right to do so, for it truly does stand out as one of the great books of that era. It is immensely rich in timeless wisdom and insight.

The vast majority of the 'witchcraft' books are reconstructionist and 100% shit made up and adapted from myths and legends.

Wicca was created in 1954 and any book remotely connected to "wicca" is 100% reconstructionist, basically the opinion of the author or whoever taught them.

Some authors, Cunningham for example, are far more well respected but in the end you aren't practicing something people did 100 years ago, 1000 years ago, 10,000 years ago. If it's in a book like that it's almost certainly someone's personal folk-magic.

The exceptions to this would be stuff based on earlier sources, like Solomonic magick which mostly draws from texts like Clavicula Salomonis Regis (Lesser Key of Solomon) which is a compiled grimoire or 140 spells from the mid 1600's which may or may not be based on texts from the 1400-1500s.

Unless a book is claiming to be newly divined/gifted information but then it is absolutely someone's interpretation of magick or the alleged interpretation of spirits/entities they were contact with.

Magic(k)/witchraft/druidry/asatru isn't like Christianity where you have a documented history going back 1700 years (Counsel of Nicaea and then moving on to any particular denomination's history which may be tens of years old or 1700ish years old) where you have a documented history.

Just like organized religion, magic(k)/witchraft/whatever is something that is very personal. You adapt what works for you, you adopt what calls to you.

You want to start somewhere? Start with mythology.

• https://www.amazon.com/Myths-Legends-British-Richard-Barber/dp/1843830396/
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Early-Irish-Myths-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140443975
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Celtic-Myths-Legends-Peter-Berresford/dp/0786711078
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Poetic-Edda-Lee-M-Hollander/dp/0292764995
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Edda-Everymans-Library-Snorri-Sturluson/dp/0460876163
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Bulfinchs-Mythology-Legends-Charlemagne-Chivalry/dp/0440308453
  
  
• The Iliad and the Odyssey, just search Amazon for a copy with reviews that speak to you
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/DAulaires-Greek-Myths-Ingri-dAulaire/dp/0440406943
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Pushkins-Fairy-Tales-A-Pushkin/dp/5938934176
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Russian-Folktales-Collection-Afanasyev-Dual-Language/dp/048649392X
  
  
  That's a good start.
  
  
  I'd also find the Audubon society book for trees and the like in your area, you should be able to find one for your region on Amazon used for 5-10$. Becoming aware of the plant life in your area will help you be able to find materials from the earth instead of coughing up money to some 'new age' shop or witchcraft supplier like 13Moons or Azure Green for a horribly overpriced piece of wood or herb.

If you haven't read the books I list below, I'll be honest, I'm envious of you because you have an amazing experience that you can unlock for the first time. These are all great, core science-fiction reads.

• For hard sci-fi involving space travel and life beyond earth (or at least the machines of life beyond earth), Rendezvous with Rama is highly recommended. It's by Clarke--one of the three members of the sci-fi triumvirate (along with Asimov and Bradbury)--and it's regarded as a major contribution to the hard sci-fi subgenre.
  
  
• You also, of course, must read the Foundation Series, starting with the original first book, Foundation. At the very least, I implore you, read the first trilogy. Again, it's by one of the three members of the sci-fi triumvirate (Asimov); many hold it as the greatest science fiction series in the history of the written genre, particularly if you are also a history buff.(End note 1)
  
  
• You should also read Neuromancer by William Gibson. This book more or less is responsible for the true existence of the cyberpunk subgenre of literary science fiction. It's a great read, with strong, memorable writing; its influence is everywhere--you see a dark corner, a towering city, a computerized "grid," or a techy disutopia in a science fiction piece? You can at least partially thank Gibson.
  
  
  End Notes
  
  End Note 1: Word of warning: it does great storytelling, epic scope, fascinating science, great battles and conflicts very well; but it isn't very high up on dialogue, emotion-based narrative, that sort of thing--it isn't hard sci-fi per se but it has a bit of that feel; so, although most people love it, once in a while you'll run into a sci-fi fan for whom the series just isn't their cup of tea.

yay for gifts!

Owning The Great Gatsby would just be super super great.

Thanks for the contest!

In no particular order:

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions - Edwin A. Abbott

Everyone should understand that crazy people aren't always crazy. This book explains that (while skewering certain social mores the author considered wrong-headed). Oh, and it's free. Edit: and it's about a two-dimensional shape being introduced to the third dimension. It makes you think a bit. :)


Rendezvous with Rama - Arthur C. Clarke

This book blew me away. There are a lot of alien encounter books out there, but this one describes things that seem truly different. It's worth reading just to get a sense of something "other". A fun book, it's great for coffee breaks and such.


Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein

If you haven't read this then, well... go read it. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone, no matter their preferred genre of literature. While it is technically science fiction, It's more of an examination of philosophy and religion. Perhaps human nature as well. Bonus: after reading, you will understand (and/or find annoying) people who say "grok".


The Complete Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

It took me ages to finally get around to reading these books/stories. After I read the first story though, I was hooked. Holmes has a style, wit and drug addiction that makes him a completely compelling character. I mean, how can you dislike someone who says "On the contrary, it would prevent me from taking a second dose of cocaine." and then proceeds to solve a crime, beat the crap out of someone, and play violin nonchalantly? Oh those silly Englishmen. Read this.

>We are a product of its very self, and yet how many times in the history of life has a life form “de-evolutioned”? HA! Have a good time trying to figure this out, evolutionary biologists.

As a biologist it always irks me to see misinterpretations of the theory of evolution such as this one. There is no such thing as "de-evolved", more evolved, or less evolved. Evolution is a process which, over very very long timescales, leads to certain changes in a species. These changes are not directional, there is no up or down, and there is no hierarchy.

The thing that's important is fitness, defined here as how well a species is able to adapt to its environment. There is no more evolved or lesser evolved species, there are simply species which exist and are very well adapted to their environment, or not so well adapted, usually due to a changing ecosystem, which can occur due to any number of factors. The species that do not adapt die. Those members within a species who may have some sort of slight change in their biology may be able to survive better, and will reproduce more successfully, thereby driving the process of evolution.

In this sense, you are just as evolved as an earthworm. Or a mountain lion. Or any other living species. There are lineages, but simply because one species first appears at an earlier time does not mean that it is less evolved than a species which evolved afterwards. All that matters is survival. Intelligence isn't worth a damn if you can't survive.

You should check out Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut. It's pretty short, and a seriously great read, and it deals with this very topic.

Thanks for the contest!

My name is Ben, and The Lord of the Rings would be my favorite book (well, series).

I've wanted a Kindle for the longest time, because I love books (used to work in a library), but I just don't have the room to keep any. I love the portability that a Kindle offers. I'm trying to save up for a Kindle of my own, but it seems like every time I get ahead, something comes along that requires the monies from my fund, and it's very sad.

Thanks again!

Anyone interested in the origin of dystopian novels should check out We by Yevgeny Zamyatin, the first book to be banned by the Soviet Censorship board.

>In the One State of the great Benefactor, there are no individuals, only numbers. Life is an ongoing process of mathematical precision, a perfectly balanced equation. Primitive passions and instincts have been subdued. Even nature has been defeated, banished behind the Green Wall. But one frontier remains: outer space. Now, with the creation of the spaceship Integral, that frontier -- and whatever alien species are to be found there -- will be subjugated to the beneficent yoke of reason.

>One number, D-503, chief architect of the Integral, decides to record his thoughts in the final days before the launch for the benefit of less advanced societies. But a chance meeting with the beautiful 1-330 results in an unexpected discovery that threatens everything D-503 believes about himself and the One State. The discovery -- or rediscovery -- of inner space...and that disease the ancients called the soul.

I would love Th Great Gatsby so I can read it before I see the movie! Thanks for the contest :)

The Great Gatsby
http://amzn.com/0743273567

This is one I've really wanted for a while. Oh, and this would be lovely too. Thanks for the great opportunity, I hope you like postmodernism!

A few good Italian authors that wrote prose are as follows:

• Italo Svevo (Zeno's Conscience)
  
  
• Italo Calvino (if on a winter's night a traveler)
  
  
• Elsa Morante (History: A Novel). I haven't read this, but I have heard great reviews.
  
  
• Tommaso Landolfi (Gogol's Wife and Other Stories) A pretty good collection of short stories.

You've likely read most of these, but here are a few suggestions:

• The Space Trilogy - C.S. Lewis. Underappreciated works by Lewis - in many ways Narnia for adults. These books are a work of supposition. What if there is intelligent life on other planets that have not fallen into sin? What would that look like?
  
• Watership Down - Richard Adams. This is a book about rabbits. Not anthropomorphized rabbits, but rabbit rabbits with their own language and mythology, who care about and experience the things rabbits experience. It doesn't sound like it should work, but it is utterly captivating.
  
• Dune - Frank Herbert. A captivating epic in a richly detailed universe. Themes of politics, religion, and technology iterweave in a fascinating tale.
  
• Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, and Xenocide - Orson Scott Card. The tale of a child trained to be the commander of earth's defenses against alien bugs. The sequels feature the same character but in an utterly different tale. The books are very different but both one of my favorites. The recent movie didn't do it justice.
  
• The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein. Heinlein is a genius, but his books often disappoint me halfway through. This one doesn't. My favorite of his works.
  
• The Mote In God's Eye - Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. After colonizing the hundreds of stars, mankind finally makes contact with an intelligent alien race for the first time. They are utterly foreign and seemingly benign, but with a dangerous secret.
  
  I can recommend others if you've already hit all of those already.

I love me... that's still right because my name is also Kevin :-)

I love Kevin

I love almost everything on you list :-)

So I'll have to pick this

I did the bio route, specifically botany. B_Prov has a great list, but my 2 cents: The origins go back to native American traditions of animism. Trying to find some quality and formative ethnographies on their world view may give you more of a chronistic context.

Many of the modern romance authors are, sort of, a proto-revisitation of those themes. Thoreau is solid (you can certainly pick apart things, but his premise is solid). I second Muir, and Leopold. Sand County Almanac was the precursor to the modern environmental movement and the foundations of deep ecology. Again, this is a more articulated 'white-man's' animism. Edward Abbey is a bit more cynical, but also a better author then many of his predecessors.

That said, here are a couple that you may find interesting as a biologist:

Gathering Moss

lives of a cell

Natural History of North American Trees: 2 vol ,

The Immense Journey

Oddly, I thought Vonnegut's Galapagos was riveting.

I'm interested in this period too and have seen recommended for the immediate aftermath and wars 'Ghost on the Throne' and 'Dividing the Spoils'. If you're interested in the wider historical aftermath for the period and have the appetite for a 1000 page tome then you might want to look at 'From Alexander to Actium'.

​

Unfortunately for this time period (the 'Hellenistic Period') we don't have a good narrative history from early sources like we do for some other periods. Herodotus, Thucydidesand Xenephon tell us the story of Greece from roughly 500-362, then we have a frustrating gap for the rise of Philip II (Alexander's father and seen by many ancients as more impressive than Alexander), then various accounts such as Arrian's of Alexander's conquests 336-323. But then there's a big 60 year gap after Alexander until Polybius's histories start in 264 (by which time this is the story of how the Successor Kingdoms and Carthage alike are ultimately defeated by Rome).

[Links in para above are to excellent scholarly versions: Landmark editions in particular are fantastic with maps, good footnotes and annexes etc. But as these are all ancient and so out of copyright you can probably get old translations for free on kindle etc.]

The Lathe of Heaven is pretty accessible. It's a great story about a guy who claims that his dreams change reality.

The Dispossessed and The Left Hand of Darkness are good starting points too.

Definitley Wind-Up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Murakami. Its about a dude who's wife leaves him and he has to find her. There is even a talking cat and some dream state scenes. some of it is a retelling of different histories and it has a lot of branching narratives. Kafka On The Shore is another great one by Murakami.

For Vonnegut,you're likely looking for Sirens of Titan, a retelling of Jonah and the Whale through an Alice and Wonderland lens. It's got a character who is very much representative of the Cheshire Cat. He has three different phases. His early books are the best. After (or even during) Breakfast of Champions he start writing a little more autobiographically (Slapstick is about his late sister and Hocus Pocus is about his brief tenure at Rollins college) and it's not as poignant (I don't think). And then later with stuff like Galapagos, he goes back to more philosophical lit, but it doesn't pack the same punch as his first phase.

Finally, House of Leaves is an amazing haunted house book that dramatically alters how you read a book. His other work is good too, but I haven't given any of it enough attention.

Edit: If you want to get meta, check out Lost in the Funhouse by John Barth or If On a Winter's Night a Traveler... by Italo Calvino.

Hi! Here's a paperback edition of The Great Gatsby:
http://amzn.com/0743273567
Used is $3 and free shipping. I LOVE this book, and I want to be able to give it to my boyfriend because he refuses to read it otherwise!!

EDIT: Labor Day!!

books that i have read that you may enjoy.
"The Children of Odin"

"Myths of the Norsemen"

"The Poetic Edda"

"The Younger Edda"

also the AFA has some great recommendations on the Website

Enjoy! :)

You can go read "The Stranger" in a day.
This is a nice little Video about Albert Camus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absurdism

Might as well check the wiki.

http://www.camus-society.com/ has a lot of good stuff. You can find The Myth of Sisyphus his essay online for free right here.

I spent 33 years an angry man who was basically just an Anti Theist. Camus view on the world is amazing and once you accept and live with the reality it is absurd everything is amazing. Very much a hippy epiphany.

Eh men already have porn... and men actually do read erotica also, probably less than men who just watch porn but it's not like men never read it. For the most part people accept porn I don't think anyone would totally flip out if a book existed that men enjoyed that was very popular and about sex. I mean... Books like Lolita exist and while they are a bit controversial they are not considered outrageous by "women" or men.

Children of Time and Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovksy both have strong sociological themes. If you enjoy these books you might also want to check out Semiosis: A Novel by Susan Burke.

Foundation by Isaac Asimov is about the fall and rise of a galactic empire. It is a bit dated in terms of science fiction but a classic in the genre.

Exhalation and Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang are collections of short stories and some of them contain strong sociological themes around communication and intersubjective understanding.

A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge also have some interesting speculative sociology.

Hominids: Volume One of The Neanderthal Parallax by Robert J. Sawyer also contains interesting speculative anthropology and sociology (but not a very interesting plot IMO) and is also worth a read.

The Narnia series. I read this series over and over as a child. Its the reason I read so much today. I had read books before that series but I wansnt into reading untill I read this series. It just had everything I was into at the time, Travel, adventure, danger, fictional characters. It also paved the way for me to be into book series more than single books. I think they can go into more detail and make you feel like your part of the story more than one book can and when they are over you almost feel as if a part of you is over. Like its a part of your past life.

a few of my favorite series are:

LOTR

The earths childrens series which is my favorite

The song of ice and fire

The touchstone trilogy

I started to read more when I was trying to unplug. TV/Netflix/phones can really pull you out of reality, make your brain weak as you begin to lose control of your thoughts. Just try not watching TV/youtube for 3 days...why is it so hard? Are we addicted to screens or are we just lazy. Research neuroplasticity, and how you can make your brain work for you (any how you fall into additive traps when you lose control of your attention). A lot of people on here are recommending meditation, I can't stress how important this is.

Start by reading someting that interests you...check out r/suggestmeabook if you need some help. Also, I can recommend some great books:

• Snow Crash - Neil Stephenson // The best cyberpunk/sci-fi roller-coaster of a read I have come across.
  
• The Iliad - Homer / Fagles translaition // Read this to understand the mankind's greatest story about war, violence and masculinity - this is about the Trojan war (well 4 days near the end), and was widely considered to be the Bible for ancient Greeks.
  
• A Man on the Moon - Andrew Chaikin // Fascinating (and accurate) account of NASA's Apollo space program from start to finish.
  
• Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed - Ben Rich // Behind-the-scenes account of the Skunk Works program and the incredible achievements they made back in the day.
  
  Best of luck.
  
  

[If on a Winter's Night a Traveler] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0156439611?pc_redir=1409922838&robot_redir=1) by Italo Calvino is an absolute delight to read. Its told in the not very common second-person and that alone I think makes it worth checking out. Beyond that it's a meditation on the joy of reading and engaging with a book and it's author. (But it's much more than that!) And really it's like 10 different books in one.

In my humble opinion If on a Winters Night is a book lover's book. I defy you to read the first ten pages online and not go out and pick it up!

On my summer reading list, I have:

• Player Piano
  
  
• Lolita (re-reading. Nabokov's use of language is sublime)
  
  
• The Swerve: How The World Became Modern
  
  
• The Conquest of the Incas
  
  
• Let The Great World Spin
  
  
• Theodore Rex
  
  
  I'm currently half way through The Conquest of the Incas. If anyone has interest in the Spanish invasion of Mesoamerica, I highly recommend it. It's a very vivid account of the political games Pizarro and his generals played to take over the Inca empire and solidify their grip in the New World.

Love LOTR

And for me, Planet of the Apes!

I love Kevin Bacon... Oh, and you're pretty awesome too.

I reread "If on a winters night a traveler" by Italo Calvino every year once the weather has become decidedly wintery. It's a wonderful book: It describes the tale of a person (yourself, actually) attempting to finish reading a book they began but could not continue due to a printing error. Every odd numbered chapter is written in the second person and details the efforts you make to continue your read while every even numbered chapter contains another excerpt from the next book you reach in your attempt to finish the original book. Charming and witty, it's one of my favourite books and I implore you to try it - everyone I've convinced to do so has been thrilled by it.

This isn't a "must read list", but going off your list, I think you would enjoy:

• Patrick Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind
  
• Greg Mortenson's Three cups of tea
  
• Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner
  
• Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita
  
• Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time
  
• Richard Adams's Watership Down
  
  If you are looking for books to expand your literary chops on, I think blackstar9000 made a very good list.
  
  For my recommendations on getting out of your element try these:
  
  
• Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince
  
• Naomi Klien's Shock Doctrine
  
• Brian K. Vaughan & Pia Guerra's Y: The Last Man
  
• Douglas Adams The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
  

I loved reading as a kid and I still do! It was never a problem for me to meet the reading requirements in elementary school. Here are a few books I enjoyed when younger:

• The Wednesday Witch
  
  
• Catwings
  
  
• A Wrinkle In Time
  
  
• Watership Down
  
  I also had a large number of Berenstain Bears, Dr. Seuss, and Tintin books growing up. I returned to those many times! I'm going to guess that those last two books are a little too advanced for a five year old, but they're still really good reads (eventually).
  
  Get those kids some books!

Bierce, Ambrose. "An Occurence At Owl Creek Bridge." Prentice Hall Literature. Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2005. 508-16. Print.
Bradford, William. "Of Plymouth Plantation." Prentice Hall Literature. Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2005. 78-84. Print.
"Declaration of Independence." National Archives and Records Administration. Web. 17 Apr. 2012. <http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration.html>.
Dickinson, Emily. "The Brain Is Wider than The Sky." Prentice Hall Literature. Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2005. 426. Print.
Emerson, Ralph W. "Self Reliance." Prentice Hall Literature. Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2005. 391-92. Print.
Erdoes, Richard. "When Grizzlies Walked Upright." 19-21. Print.
"The Great Gatsby [Paperback]." The Great Gatsby: Amazon.ca: F. Scott Fitzgerald: Books. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. <http://www.amazon.ca/The-Great-Gatsby-Scott-Fitzgerald/dp/0743273567>.
Miller, Arthur. "The Crucible." Prentice Hall Literature. Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2005. 1233-314. Print.
O'Connor, Flannery. "The Life You Save May Be YOur Own." Prentice Hall Literature. Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2005. 972-82. Print.
Poe, Edgar A. "The Fall Of the House Of Usher." Prentice Hall Literature. Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2005. 308-30. Print.No more west borough baptist church

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin. This book, along with books by Kafka and Wells is on of the originals that spawned great books like Brave New World, 1984, Anthem, etc.

Most of the characters in The Windup Girl are Thai or Chinese.

The Left Hand of Darkness messes around with gender in interesting ways. (Also, Ursula K. Leguin is an all-around fantastic author.)

Robert Heinlein can be a controversial author, but many of his works had non-white protagonists. Manuel Garcia O'Kelly-Davis from The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress is multiracial, and Johnny Rico from Starship Troopers is Filipino, if I recall correctly.

Someone else in this thread recommended The Brief But Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao, and it's not exactly SFF (more in the vein of magical realism) but it is easily one of the best books I've ever read.

This is my favorite and the version I personally own. The front and the back both have really cool designs/typography and it feels like an ancient tome. Perfect for Dune.

https://www.amazon.com/Dune-Penguin-Galaxy-Frank-Herbert/dp/0143111582/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=dune+galaxy&qid=1551242043&s=gateway&sr=8-2

Gravity's Rainbow is Thomas Pynchon's epic, wandering, convoluted WWII novel.

Infinite Jest is either the greatest novel of all time or the most overrated novel of all time, depending on who you ask (I happen to fall into the former category)

~$20 on Amazon US. I've been really impressed with the quality of this printing, it's clear they put a lot of thought and care into it. I love paperbacks for their ergonomics and low cost, but for a classic such as Dune, this feels like a really good tradeoff.

>I'll start with this, offering an explanation with no explanatory power isn't really an explanation.

Since it's been a while, what explanation are you talking about exactly?

>We still don't know what a pre-Big-Bang space looks like. Did time, space, or matter exist in some form before? We don't know and I'm not sure it's possible to know. My point with quantum mechanics wasn't that it negated a premise. It was that the field is new and constantly growing and the statement that the universe "began to exist" isn't settled because of the gaps in our knowledge.

Yes I agree, the field is constantly growing. As it has been since it's beginning, which is no different from any other field of science. I'm glad you agree that quantum mechanics doesn't defeat any of the premises. However, it doesn't even undercut any of them. You can't just say, "Quantum Mechanics" therefore we don't know and should just remain skeptical. The fact remains that we have very strong scientific evidence that the universe began to exist (The cosmic microwave background radiation, the Red shift of light from galaxies moving away from us, Radioactive element abundance predications, Helium/hydrogen abundance predictions, Star formation and stellar lifecycle theories, The Second Law of Thermodynamics applied to nuclear fusion inside stars, The Board-Guth-Vilenkin (BVG) Theorem.) That is, that time, space, matter and energy came into existence a finite time ago. Quantum mechanics does nothing to undermine that. And this is really where I get truly disappointed with most atheists these days. They are all for following scientific evidence. But when scientific evidence points towards an argument for God's existence they are unjustifiably skeptic. They don't have this type of skepticism about anything else, but all of a sudden it comes out of no where when the science disagrees with their presuppositions. If you don't want to follow the scientific evidence where it leads

>Saying that there must have been a cause and then doing some hand-waving when any questions are asked about it isn't really explaining anything. It's like the humunculus in psychology. If there's something not understood about the brain we could just offer the humunculus as the explanation. What is it? No one really knows, but it must do that unexplained thing. That's not an explanation. In what other fields are such explanations acceptable?

You are conflating two topics - what the cause of the universe is between furthering our explanatory knowledge of that cause. This isn't some God of the Gaps argument where we just say, "This, this, this, therefore God". Rather, this is a deductive argument leading to the conclusion that God exists. If you want to refute the argument you need to refute one of the premises. The other thing you're conflating is our lack of ability to further our explanatory knowledge with not know what the explanation is. Suppose archeologists were to stumble upon some arrow heads and pottery shards in the ground. They would be justified in concluding that these materials were from some older previous society that use to be there. They would be justified in this even if they had NO idea who these artifacts belonged to or WHERE they came from. That is, in order for an explanation to be the best you don't need an explanation of the explanation. God leads deductively from the KCA even if we can't further our explanation any further than this. Be careful not to confuse the two.

>As for your demonstration that disembodied minds aren't incoherent, I disagree. Minds require brains. That seems fundamental. There has not been any mind ever demonstrated to exist without a physical brain of some sort. I don't understand how simply stating it is possible makes sense in any coherent way, especially since I don't have any reason to believe it is possible.

We do have reason to believe it's possible! What's that? It's not logically impossible or incoherent. Therefore it's possible. If you are going to maintain that "Minds necessarily require brains" you'll need an argument for that. Unless you can give that the argument is successful. Moreover, "We don't have any evidence for unembodied minds". Sure we do! That's what the KCA is!

>You exacerbate this problem by then arguing that a disembodied mind is capable of speaking. Speech is a physical process. Sound requires matter. There must be a medium for the propagation of waves. Again incoherent.

I think this would be trivially easy to falsify, but that's unnecessary. Fine, we are unaware of how the cause created everything. But it must be extremely powerful so it must have something to do with that.

> If the carpenter is making a cut it's a cut in SOMETHING. If it's a cut in nothing then there is no cut. You can't cause an effect on nothing because there's nothing to effect.

Nothing Means “Not anything”. The word “nothing” in English isn’t a name of something. It is a term of universal negation. It is the absence of anything. It is to say that to say something exists is false – it expresses a false proposition. Ex: When you say, “I had nothing to eat for lunch” you mean I did not have anything for lunch. You don’t mean that you ate something and it was nothing. It would be inappropriate to say, “I had nothing for lunch” while somebody asks “oh, how did it taste?” and you say “Oh it was real tasty! It was great!” What you are doing is attempting to reify the language of nothing. That's an incorrect understanding.

>As for your tangent on some new theory of evolution, firstly evolution is not a theory on the origin of life. It's a theory on how organisms change and it accounts for the diversity of life.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Origin-Of-Species-Anniversary/dp/0451529065

Sounds like you might enjoy Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age. I think Snow Crash is meant to be in the same universe - it's hilarious but not as dense. You might also like his Cryptonomicon, though it's not technically Sci Fi.

Tad Willams' Otherland Series is Epic Sci Fi with a huge amount of detail. Might be right up your alley.

Dune, Neuromancer and The Enderverse if you haven't already read those.

This is my favorite thing off of your wishlist. I <3 that series so much.

And this is my favorite item in that price range off of mine. It's the only season in this series I don't have yet.

P.S. I love Kevin

I've got the perfect book to cheer up your friend.

The hebrew and greek text. The original. Those ones. It's not that hard. This is like saying "which origin of species is our modern one, this one or the 150th anniversary edition? I assumed you could understand that when I say our bible, I mean the best we can put together the original version of what they said, which is said to be at least 99.5% accurate, with most inaccuracies in non-crucial sections.

If the dead sea scrolls weren't enough to convince you of accuracy, and I think what the word "light" was dropped from some verse in Isaiah without changing the real meaning of the verse, then nothing will. Seriously. You're not showing skepticism, you're refusing to believe what's in front of your eyes. I'm not even arguing that you should believe the Bible. But if that doesn't convince you that its closed minded, and the best defense you can think of is "what about king james", then you're just being closed-minded. I'm done here.

Check that listing from a desktop, they sometimes offer "look inside" option. This one says "Large Print." So you're good on that front

Also unless you specifically need this part lf the stories to complete a collection, do yourself a favor and got a full volume of complete stories/novels. Usually something like "The Complete Sherlock Holmes" or "The Complete Sherlock Holmes Volume 1".

This book is only 1 of the groups of the short stories. And apparently it maye be split up since it says Volume 1.

I recommend:

The Complete Sherlock Holmes (2 Volumes) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0553328255/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_bow9Bb4AWPNTW

But it is mass market so its smaller print. However it is complete all stories.


This is large print:

The Complete Sherlock Holmes: part 1 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1506130631/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Jqw9Bb3A2H911

But it is only half. Don't seem to see part 2

• How to Win Friends and Influence People By Dale Carnegie
  
  
• The Stranger by Albert Camus
  
  
• Beyond Good and Evil
  
  

The Sherlock Holmes Collection, perhaps.

Alice in Wonderland.

Or The Mortal Instruments series would be a pretty safe bet. Very popular.

Get her something like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/0345538374/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_r2LOBbK44C23F

Cheap, free shipping, and contains the entire main story ( the Hobbit and all 3 books to the Lord of the Rings). There are other books to the saga, but they are more history and world building. The main story I'm sure she's referring to is in those 4 books. And if she wants the others, this is a damn good start.

I found InfiniteSummer to be extremely helpful when reading Infinite Jest. Perhaps this site will prove to be just as helpful for Gravity's Rainbow. The site seems to have various resources (chapter summaries, introduction, links to wiki's, links to papers) at our disposal. Happy reading!

Also, I really recommend avoiding Penguin's edition of Gravity's Rainbow. The edges are frayed, which prove to be rather cumbersome when flipping through a 750ish page book :|

I can really recommend two collections;

• The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway -you find it on [amazon] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0684843323) - a collection of his amazing short stories, with background information of his life seen in context with his writing. So you learn a little Hemingway while reading
  
  
• slightly different genre, but I cannot recommend reading original Sherlock Holmes stories enough. You can buy complete Sherlock Holmes relatively cheap, or just start with any of the most known stories.
  
  Furthermore, if you want to add a little style to your bookshelf, buy one of these. they are basically all great reads!
  
  
  

I love those but have always thought Galapagos was his best.

I would say anything by Vladimir Nabokov. He writes some of the most beautiful prose I've ever read. He's best known for his book, Lolita. I would suggest that.
http://www.amazon.com/Lolita-Vladimir-Nabokov/dp/0679723161

Is it legal? Yes.

Will Amazon allow it? I guess it depends on the specifics. I mean, http://www.amazon.com/Lolita-Vladimir-Nabokov/dp/0679723161 is really popular.

How about We by Yevgeny Zamyatin (Wikipedia entry, Amazon link Hey, now that I look at it, that's the same copy I have!)? Dystopian future book, written by a Russian in Russia, right around the time Stalin was consolidating his power (It got him exiled. Twice! Well, it was a factor at least). Also around that time was when we were first really trying to study the brain and how it worked, so there's some cool influences from that as well.

I'd really recommend it.

I'm pretty awesomely adept at Greek mythology and literature.

Some of my favorite literature:

[Waiting for Godot] (http://www.amazon.com/Waiting-Godot-Eng-rev-Tragicomedy/dp/080214442X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368735525&sr=1-1&keywords=waiting+for+godot) by Samuel Beckett

[The Stranger] (http://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Albert-Camus/dp/0679720200/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368735498&sr=1-1&keywords=the+stranger+by+albert+camus) by Albert Camus

[Shades of Grey] (http://www.amazon.com/Shades-Grey-Novel-Jasper-Fforde/dp/0143118587) by Jasper Fforde

[The Diamond as Big as the Ritz] (http://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Big-Ritz-Scott-Fitzgerald/dp/1603551050/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368735594&sr=1-2&keywords=diamond+as+big+as+the+ritz) by F. Scott Fitzgerald

To this day there is still no greater book for opening up the world of thought than Will Durant's The Story of Philosophy. This book is indispensable.

Aside from that the best advice, as many here have noted, is to simply read widely and often. Here are some other books I can personally recommend as being particularly insightful:

• Wind, Sand and Stars
  
• Einstein's Dreams
  
• Family Happiness
  
• Borges
  
• Kafka
  
• Tao Te Ching
  
• Book of Job
  
• The Stranger
  
• Prometheus Rising
  
• Shakespeare

I went back to that thread to see what you gave me to work with. MC Hammer and curling....

Ok, you liked that. What sets Toole apart in his writing is that humor permeates everything. If your humor leans towards sarcasm, I recommend Kurt Vonnegut, Galapagos. If you prefer something more off beat, try Tom Robbins, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues.

Oh, and I also recommend Lee M. Hollander's The Poetic Edda. Good, strong, translation without added fluff or wiccatru.

You've just finished my favourite book.

I would go with Asimov's foundation as a worthy followup.

Although, anything in the SF Masterworks series should be good enough. I've been working my way through that for the last 15 years and there are some truly mind-blowing books in it.

Watership down I would have to say is a great book! It is the story o a runt rabbit who wants to move away from his warren and start anew, and he encounters trials along the way. The book is around 55 chapters and has an animated movie and tv show series to go with it! Its a really interesting read.

You will note that he was forced to bring Holmes back to life. He tried to get around it by charging what he thought was an outlandish price.. but the publishers anted up and Sherlock went on to solve many more cases.
As to where to start, well most of Holmes' cases start with a knock on the door down stairs. They were mostly all published as short stories in magazines and are available in a two volume collection by several publishers. Here is a mass market edition that includes all the stories up until Doyle's death. There have been a couple of things that came to light later, mostly requiring completion that have been published. it is $9.99 on Amazon new. And then there all the works done by other authors once Sherlock passed into public domain, and there are all the movies....television and radio shows.. There are over 700 radio adaptations in English alone, which include both stories from the original canon and new adventures.
As a pipe smoker reading the stories you will note that Holmes generally smokes a 'greasy clay' or a 'cherrywood' pipe, keeps his shag cut tobacco in a Persian slipper on the mantle of his apartment. On stage first, and then in the movies later, the actors sought something that could be easily identified as a tobacco pipe at a distance, even from the balcony, and chose a calabash pipe.
With all the stories, you can find Holmes in his natural Victorian times, then he appeared in contemporary times (WW2 was the first of these I think), and even in the future, as in Star Trek NG.
think I will listen to an episode or two from Olde Time Radio tonight, while I putter around.

Eek! I'm pretty sure those are in Mexican pesos. $21 USD at Amazon US, $426 MXN ($21 USD) at Amazon MX.

Egypt I think there are newer editions available.

Babylon

Ancient Israel

And if you are feeling exceptionally adventuresome I would highly recommend Herodotus

Which books do you want to read? The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings? The one-volume edition of The Lord of the Rings is probably the best one to get for a Kindle, since carrying a big book around is not an issue. For The Hobbit, I'd go with the enhanced 75th Anniversary edition as it's the same price as the others and has some cool features.

As /u/pinner92 says, however, read The Hobbit first.

There's a number of different methods, but the tried and true is that A Study in Scarlet is a natural entry point.

The Cheap Collection can be found here.

I believe the following meet all the criteria:

• Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
  
  
• The Quiet War by Paul J. Mcauley
  
  
• Blindsight by Peter Watts
  
  
• Leviathan Wakes - The Expanse by James S.A. Corey (I haven't read this one, but it has great reviews and fits your criteria)

Yes! I was pleasantly surprised to find this copy.Being on Kindle Unlimited means more people will get exposure to the single book idea.

Sure. Here you go.

From the Smithsonian http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence

From BBC http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150803-how-do-we-know-evolution-is-real

https://evolution-institute.org/evolution-is-as-real-as-gravity/

Or perhaps you’d like evidence from the man who started the concept himself

https://www.amazon.com/Origin-Species-150th-Anniversary/dp/0451529065/ref=nodl_

Look, there’s a wealth of knowledge readily at your fingertips. I don’t know what it takes to convince you but I’ve sure done my job trying to

Here are some recommendations that are often not in top N lists, though they are quite excellent:

• Ursula K Le Guin's Hainish books (World's of Exile and Illusion, The Left Hand of Darkness, and The Word for World is Forest).
  
• Michael Marshall Smith's Only Forward
  
• C. J. Cherryh's Morgaine Saga
  
• William Gibson's Burning Chrome
  
• Robert A. Heinlein's Have Space Suit, Will Travel

Well, if it's old, it must be true. Clearly, the Iliad must be Holy Scripture. All hail Homer, and Saint Robert Fagles, his Prophet.

The picture shown on the Amazon page are often wrong. For example I just ordered The Great Gatsby (about time for a re-read since High School) and going off the amazon page (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743273567) you'd think I get the classic cover? Nope. I got a cover of with a picture of a stereotypical 1920s woman's face. I actually like it more to be honest but still a surprise.

Just an FYI for those that use Kindle and want to read LOTR... the whole trilogy is on sale on Amazon for 2.99 today. I just bought one. :)

https://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-One-J-R-R-Tolkien-ebook/dp/B007978OY6/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=lord+of+the+rings&qid=1562456571&rnid=2941120011&s=books&smid=A1KUURLZXZKET0&sr=1-4

We discover the significance of the story, first, by comparing it to earlier creation-flood myths that Genesis adapts and responds to. (You can read them for yourself in Myths from Mesopotamia.) In those stories, the reason for the flood is that the gods made a mistake: they created humans to be their slaves, providing the gods with food, clothing, and honour in temple ceremonies, but humans multiply and become so numerous and noisy that the gods are unable to sleep. So the gods kill off humanity, and there's a new creation with various diseases, demons, and mandatory chastity for certain classes of women to keep the population under control. In the Jewish flood story, God brings the corruption of the world initiated by man to completion, but then reaffirms the original creation without change.

In the context of Christian theology, we also have to read the story in the light of later revelation. [1 Peter 3:18-22 NRSV] explicitly calls the waters of the flood an allegory for baptism. We may find further significance in Noah's postdiluvian invention of wine, which in Christianity will become the blood of the new and eternal covenant.

The Crying of Lot 49 is pretty amazing.

I'm also a big fan of both Gravity's Rainbow and Foucalt's Pendulum.

Mesopamian mythology is a topic you may find interesting. If so, the best book I've found (from an academic standpoint) is this one.

If you want something a bit more casual and less academic you might prefer this one

For learning about the world's religions in general I recommend this book by Huston Smith which is a standard for university Comparative Religion classes.

You can literally save $208.60 by buying the Mass Market Paperback over the Audio CD!

Just to be clear here, the paperback comes with both The Hobbit AND all 3 LOTR books!

Is it really that expensive to have someone read the book, record it, edit it, master it, produce a CD, and distribute said CD? . . . I think I just answered my own question!

EDIT: I've just realized that with the title and the subject, someone is going to make a YOU SHALL NOT PASS reference . . . thanks!

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."

...Level 5 problems...
Maybe you need a group of lesser powered esper friends to hang out?

> I don't know where to begin and what to do.

Here's a start and some more. Google for communities of people you're interested in within your area or IRC. Attend meet-ups and work on contacts. Get a part-time job if possible.

ps: 6th level 5 esper was revealed in NT11

Camus was both an essay writer and a fiction author, so reading a piece of each is a good idea. The Stranger would be his best work of fiction to read, and "The Myth of Sisyphus" his best essay. It really lays out his ideas regarding the absurd. It usually appears in a book called The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays. Both books, especially the first, are in most libraries.
I haven't read Kierkegaard, but I've heard that Either/Or is both a simple read and puts his ideas on display. If you'd prefer to read it online, here's a link that I found.

I believe he's talking about Isaac Asimov's: Foundation. Pretty good read.

I don't know if this counts as a novella, but I remember really enjoying reading "We" (http://www.amazon.com/We-Yevgeny-Zamyatin/dp/0380633132) when I was younger.

To piggyback on OP, if you are going to purchase a Herodotus translation, I highly recommend the Landmark volume. You will find the extra bells and whistles quite useful.

Annnnd here we go again. I'm doing this with all books, just because.

Allegiant

Berenstain Bears

Calvin and Hobbes

Dune

Edgar Allen Poe collection

Fahrenheit 451

Gulliver's Travels

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie

Julie of the Wolves

Kite Runner

Little House on the Prairie

Machine of Death

Neverending Story

Omnitopia Dawn (The book I'm reading now, actually!)

Pilgrim's Progress

Quarter Share (Also available free as a podiobook!)

Room

Snow Crash

[Tell-Tale Brain](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_9?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=tell-tale brain&sprefix=tell-tale%2Cstripbooks%2C222&rh=i%3Astripbooks%2Ck%3Atell-tale brain&ajr=2)

Uglies

Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Watership Down

Xenocide

Year Zero

Zen and the Art of Knitting

This one is pretty cool looking and reasonable at $20ish - https://www.amazon.com/Dune-Penguin-Galaxy-Frank-Herbert/dp/0143111582/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1523827580&sr=1-1

If you want fancy then this one for $125 - http://www.foliosociety.com/book/DFH/dune-frank-herbert

You should really check out Ursula K. Le Guin. I recommend starting with The Left Hand of Darkness.

> the status quo of "they are more simple = they don't understand = their pain is less."

Citation needed.

Seriously though, there's a really good book that I recommend for this kind of elementary evolutionary theory. Hold on, let me try to remember what it was called... Ah, here it is.

Lol don't take me too seriously. i only just picked it up and am working my way through it. I really enjoy Robert Fagles' translation

This is probably the best book to start with.

After reading that one, read this one

And once you have read both of those I suggest reading this one. Finally after that I recommend reading this one which actually isn't about Inanna its about her sister, Ereshkigal - but to many people seeking to understnand Inanna, understanding both of them is important.

> Where is the SCIENCE that shows beneficial mutations outweigh negative ones?

https://www.amazon.com/Origin-Species-150th-Anniversary/dp/0451529065

And if you want more:

https://www.amazon.com/Selfish-Gene-Popular-Science/dp/0192860925

https://www.amazon.com/Extended-Phenotype-Oxford-Landmark-Science-ebook/dp/B01K2BLPN2/

> Who discovered it?

I already told you: Charles Darwin. And then Richard Dawkins filled in the most important details. (That's actually the reason Dawkins is famous, BTW, not because he's an atheist.)

Have you actually read "Origin of Species"? Or "The Selfish Gene"? Or "The Extended Phenotype"?

> He had virtually nothing original to offer

Then why do you think he gets all the credit?

It's possible that the credit should go to Blyth. I don't know, I'm not a historian. But either way, it doesn't matter. Someone discovered evolution, and if it wasn't Darwin then it was Blyth, and if it wasn't Blyth it was someone else. What difference does it make who it was? It's like arguing over whether Samuel Pierpont Langley was really the first to demonstrate powered flight and not the Wright brothers. Airplanes are going to fly either way.

> Darwin knew nothing of genetics

That's like saying that Einstein knew nothing of relativity.

The fact that parents pass traits on to their offspring has been known since ancient times. Not only did Darwin know of genetics, he actually uses the word "genetics" in Origin of Species!

> Where is the SCIENCE that shows beneficial mutations outweigh negative ones?

https://www.amazon.com/Origin-Species-150th-Anniversary/dp/0451529065

And if you want more:

https://www.amazon.com/Selfish-Gene-Popular-Science/dp/0192860925

https://www.amazon.com/Extended-Phenotype-Oxford-Landmark-Science-ebook/dp/B01K2BLPN2/

> Who discovered it?

I already told you: Charles Darwin. And then Richard Dawkins filled in the most important details. (That's actually the reason Dawkins is famous, BTW, not because he's an atheist.)

Have you actually read "Origin of Species"? Or "The Selfish Gene"? Or "The Extended Phenotype"?

> He had virtually nothing original to offer

Then why do you think he gets all the credit?

It's possible that the credit should go to Blyth. I don't know, I'm not a historian. But either way, it doesn't matter. Someone discovered evolution, and if it wasn't Darwin then it was Blyth, and if it wasn't Blyth it was someone else. What difference does it make who it was? It's like arguing over whether Samuel Pierpont Langley was really the first to demonstrate powered flight and not the Wright brothers. Airplanes are going to fly either way.

> Darwin knew nothing of genetics

That's like saying that Einstein knew nothing of relativity.

The fact that parents pass traits on to their offspring has been known since ancient times. Not only did Darwin know of genetics, he actually uses the word "genetics" in Origin of Species!


---

Posted by: l****r

You might try some Kurt Vonnegut novels. Many delve into sci-fi topics, while others are absurdly realistic, and are written in straightforward language while exploring some really interesting ideas. My favorite, Galapagos, tells a tale about an apocalypse and human evolution over a million years.

The Giver by Lois Lowry is technically considered YA, but it's so amazing it doesn't matter. I still read it every few years as an adult, and I only just found out it is part of a set of four. Another book that is technically YA but is really smart and has a lot of depth is A Wrinkle in Time and the books that follow it. They are stories about imperfect and relatable characters that touch on topics such as cellular biology, time travel and ethics.

It's like saying evolution is the key to the human species, and someone else saying, "It's not the only reason, people who want to really know what else went into it should read this"

It's so absurd, I think I'm taking crazy pills sometimes. But, I guess because you had the gif, you're taken as the expert. So, again, good for you, man. I'm glad you could show me that no matter where I go on reddit, the facts don't matter, it's how snarky you are.

Stalking your history you're based in the states. On that basis I typed into Amazon.com "hobbit lord of the rings box" and found several results, the first being

• box set - movie tie-in covers for $25
  
  That seems reasonable enough. Pretty much any collection of LotR will have the appendixes, though if you read reviews I'm sure you'll spot those case which don't.
  
  Me personally I have a box set (seven volumes) of LoTR (millenium edition) and an unrelated hobbit. Not sure if you're specifically looking for related-editions, or just want new copies..?

I read through this book this summer which was excellent - it's a collection of myths in their entirety (Epic of Gilgamesh, Babylonian Creation Epic) with introductions to each and footnotes after it.

Issue is, it's not like the d'Aulaires stuff - these aren't myths summarised, they are just the stories as we now have them.

Off the top of my head? The most obvious gift: On the Origin of Species

I love this edition of the first book

https://www.amazon.com/Dune-Penguin-Galaxy-Frank-Herbert/dp/0143111582/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1539817958&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=dune+gaiman&dpPl=1&dpID=51CU7gd1yrL&ref=plSrch

Well, my favorites are

The Moviegoer

The Road

A Confederacy of Dunces

Rendezvous with Rama

Watchmen

Snow Crash

Slaughterhouse-Five

Cat's Cradle

The Big Sleep

The Maltese Falcon

American Gods

A Clockwork Orange

Preacher

Fahrenheit 451

1984

Akira

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Lolita

Love in the Time of Cholera

Naked Lunch

Animal Farm

The Sandman

At the Mountains of Madness

The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Tales

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Brave New World

We

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

Robert Fagles did a great contemporary translation.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143111582/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I thought this one is great

Read Lolita. (really...it is an awesome book)

Have you read the Foundation series by Asimov? It's a classic and one of the best of all time! The initial series is 3 books, all pretty short, but there's a ton of sequels and prequels after that, and the Foundation series hooks into Asimov's Robot series too.

Em janeiro, terminei de ler Fundação, do Isaac Asimov. É um livro sensacional; super recomendo. Agora, estou terminando The Foundational Falsehoods of Creationism e Gödel, Escher, Bach: An eternal golden braid. O próximo que eu vou ler provavelmente será Consciousness Explained, do Daniel Dannet.

Damn... As a writer myself, I really wish that guy had plead not guilty and fought for a precedent.

Because even classic literature can be CP

Santiago by Mike Resnick fits the bill pretty well; it's an abstracted space frontier setting reminiscent of the Old West. Very evocative.

Other than that, you could look at Ursula LeGuin (I'm thinking of The Left Hand of Darkness but she wrote many). And if you haven't yet read it, Foundation is a classic of the genre.

• Ringworld by Larry Niven
  
  
• The Foundation by Isaac Asimov (Followed by Foundation and Empire, then Second Foundation. Note, there are other foundation novels that both precede and follow this period of the story.)
  
  
• The Dark Tower by Stephen King (7 book series)
  
  
• The Saga of Seven Suns by Kevin J. Anderson (7 books)
  
  
• The Book of Ler by M. A. (Mark Anthony) Foster (3 books in 1)
  
  
• Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (I haven't read the whole series, it's long; note also that these were written by a trained playwright, so hearing these on audio is most like seeing this on a stage. The audiobooks are available, try a library.)

Click the link to purchase on Amazon: The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. There are many editions though.

https://www.amazon.com/Origin-Species-150th-Anniversary/dp/0451529065

You are welcome to visit your local/regional library. Or stroll through the shelves at your local vintage bookstore.

READ

Partake in the Fruits of Human Knowledge

The Stranger. It's a short book, but one of my favorites.

I uphold that Pynchon's "Gravity's Rainbow" is the greatest novel ever written.

Like "Catch-22" it's a postmodern imagining of WW2 - except 1.5 times as long, more digressive/subversive, more obscene, and much more epic.

Just imagine "Catch-22" got spliced with a few physics/engineering books, Tarantino/porno films, and was written on acid...

Agreed for the Prose Edda--Penguin Classics. I like this translation of the Elder Edda.

If you liked 1984 you should check out We. Also a dystopian novel, pretty grim, and written a whole 20 years before 1984.

back to the beginning

---

Current Selection#####

• Echopraxia by Peter Watts [Echopraxia]. Began September 3rd.
  
  
  ---
  

  Past Selections#####
  

  
  

  2014######
  

  
  

• The Songs of Distant Earth by Arthur C. Clarke [Songs]. Began August 6th.
  
  
• 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson [2312]. Began July 7th.
  
  
• The Crystal World by J. G. Ballard [crystal]. Began June 4th.
  
  
• The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon [Lot49]. Began May 7th.
  
  
• The Lilith's Brood Trilogy by Octavia Butler [lilith]. Began April 7th.
  
  
• Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie [Justice]. Began March 6th.
  
  
• [Invisible Cities] (http://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Cities-Italo-Calvino/dp/0156453800) by Italo Calvino [Invisible]. Began February 5th.
  
  
• Machine Man by Max Barry [Machine]. Began January 1st.
  
  

  2013######
  

  
  

• House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds [suns]. Began December 5th.
  
  
• Singularity Sky by Charles Stross [singularity]. Began November 4th.
  
  
• Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood [Oryx and Crake]. Began October 7th.
  
  
• The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway [gone-away]. Began September 3rd.
  
  
• The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin [dispossessed]. Began August 2nd.
  
  
• The Hydrogen Sonata by Iain M. Banks [sonata]. Began July 3rd.
  
  
• Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clark [rama]. Began June 3rd.
  
  
• Jack Glass by Adam Roberts [glass]. Began May 3rd.
  
  
• Of Men and Monsters by William Tenn [monsters]. Began April 3rd.
  
  
• Solaris by Stanisław Lem [solaris]. Began March 3rd.
  
  
• Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan [carbon]. Began February 1.
  
  
• The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson [diamond]. Began January 4th.
  
  

  2012######
  

  
  

• Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke [childhood]. Began December 1st.
  
  
• Ship of Fools by Richard Paul Russo (aka Unto Leviathan) [fools]. Began November 3rd.
  
  
• Dying Inside by Robert Silverberg [dying]. Began October 4th.
  
  
• China Mountain Zhang by Maureen F. McHugh [china]. Began September 4th.
  
  
• Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges [labyrinths]. Began August 4th.
  
  
• The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury [martian]. Began July 2nd.
  
  
• The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle [mote]. Began June 1st.
  
  
• Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky [picnic]. Began May 2nd.
  
  
• The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester [Destination]. Began April 2nd.
  
  
• Diaspora by Greg Egan [diaspora]. Began March 5th.
  
  
• Stories by Ted Chiang [Chiang]. Began February 3rd.
  
  
• Grass by Sheri S. Tepper [grass]. Began January 2nd.
  
  

  2011######
  

  
  

• Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny [lord]. Began December 5th.
  
  
• Zones of Thought Trilogy by Vernor Vinge [zones], [fire], [deepness], [children]. Began October 28th.
  
  
• Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami [Wonderland]. Began October 3rd.
  
  
• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline [rp1]. Began September 1st.
  
  
• Rule 34 by Charles Stross [Rule 34]. Began August 2nd.
  
  
• The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi [quantum]. Began July 1st.
  
  
• Embassytown by China Miéville [Embassytown]. Began June 1st.
  
  
• The Dervish House by Ian McDonald [dervish]. Began May 2nd.
  
  
• The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin [LHoD]. Began April 5th.
  
  
• A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr. [canticle]. Began March 1st.
  
  
• Inverted World by Christopher Priest [inverted world]. Began February 1st.
  
  
• The City & the City by China Miéville [the city]. Began January 1st.
  
  

  2010######
  

  
  

• Surface Detail by Iain M. Banks [surface]. Began December 3rd.
  
  
• Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell [cloud atlas]. Began November 3rd.
  
  
• Anathem by Neal Stephenson [anathem]. Began October 1st.
  
  
• Blindsight by Peter Watts [blindsight]. Began September 1st.
  
  
• The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi [windup]. Began August 1st.
  
  
• The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect by Roger Williams [MoPI]. Began July 15th.

Well then... I have more to list!

• Infinite Jest by Wallace
  
• Blood Meridian by McCarthy
  
• A Farewell To Arms by Hemingway
  
• Cat's Cradle by Vonnegut
  
• Gravity's Rainbow by Pynchon

> if I wrote a book about a sexy 12 year old no one is gonna let me put it in their library

https://www.amazon.com/Lolita-Vladimir-Nabokov/dp/0679723161 fairly certain you can find that in some libraries.

The Talisman-by Stephen King and Peter Straub. The authors then continued the story with a second book called Black House. http://www.amazon.com/The-Talisman-Novel-Stephen-King/dp/145169721X
An amazing fantasy adventure for any age. A good bridge for you as well. Other adventure fantasy type books that I felt were ageless, A Boys life- by Robert McCammon. http://www.amazon.com/Boys-Life-Robert-McCammon/dp/0671743058 Anything and everything Jack London. Read Stephen King short stories then move onto Edgar Allen Poe. To kill a mocking bird- by Harper Lee http://www.amazon.com/To-Kill-Mockingbird-Harper-Lee/dp/0446310786 A Watership Down- By Richard Adams http://www.amazon.com/Watership-Down-Novel-Richard-Adams/dp/0743277708 Of Mice And Men- by John Steinbeck http://www.amazon.com/Of-Mice-Men-John-Steinbeck/dp/0140177396
Then you may want to move on to another type of adventure.
Into the Wild- by Jon Krakauer. http://www.amazon.com/Into-Wild-Jon-Krakauer/dp/0385486804 Every book is a bridge to another and so on. I could name so many more, but each book will lead you to them.

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Amazon Smile Link: We


|Country|Link|
|:-----------|:------------|
|UK|amazon.co.uk|
|Spain|amazon.es|
|France|amazon.fr|
|Germany|amazon.de|
|Japan|amazon.co.jp|
|Canada|amazon.ca|
|Italy|amazon.it|
|China|amazon.cn|




This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting). The thread for feature requests can be found here.

Indeed. You might enjoy Galapagos: A Novel. It's a book by Kurt Vonnegut about a new post-apocalyptic "brave, new, and totally different human race."

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula LeGuin (Science Fiction, Gender Equality)

Would it be easier if athiests told you their beliefs came from a book written long ago?

Darwin Origin of the Species

Amazon sells a Kindle version (https://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-One-J-R-R-Tolkien-ebook/dp/B007978OY6?tag=hz0d-20#nav-subnav) and Apple (https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-lord-of-the-rings/id503019669?mt=110) has one as well.

The most popular translation is the Hollander translation.

Existentialism and Human Emotions, by Sartre, is only 96 pages and quite an easy read. {ISBN-13: 978-0806509020} Existentialism and the Philosophical Tradition, [Raymond], gives a broad selection of thinkers throughout history, but it is pricey. {ISBN-13: 978-0132957755} Another approach would be texts that are not strictly philosophical yet present some existential points such as: The Plague, The Stranger, and The Rebel, all by Camus, Nausea by Sartre, Notes From Underground, by Dostoevsky, or Waiting For Godot by Beckett

http://www.amazon.com/Anna-Karenina-Hardcover-Classics-Tolstoy/dp/014119961X/

http://www.amazon.com/Gravitys-Rainbow-Penguin-Classics-Deluxe/dp/0143039946/

It's time to read books for grown ups. I believe in you. :)

There are entire fields of study and degrees to be had, dedicated to such a question.

If you had a reference of its location within the Edda, you could pick up a translation that will tell you.

Sure!

https://www.amazon.com/Origin-Species-150th-Anniversary/dp/0451529065/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1542757904&sr=8-2&keywords=on+the+origin+of+species

For about the same price, you can get the trilogy as three separate Kindle e-books:

http://www.amazon.com/Foundation-Isaac-Asimov/dp/0553293354/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_z
http://www.amazon.com/Foundation-Empire-Isaac-Asimov/dp/0553293370/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_y
http://www.amazon.com/Second-Foundation-Novels-Isaac-Asimov/dp/0553293362/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_z

There may be a better deal available. I just browsed around for a couple minutes.

This edition has been the preference in my Classics department. I haven't used any other translation enough to tell you how the actual text compares (and from what I've seen it's just as good or better); what really makes it stand out is its annotations. You could teach an entire history course just from the content in this version- maps, snippets of other texts, comments on archaeology, paleography, and everything else. It's also quite cheap for its quality.

Just like in Asimov's Foundation series, psychohistory relies on large groups acting on instinct and existing without any knowledge of psychology or sociology. By acquainting yourself with the tools of persuasion from rhetoric and oratory to propaganda and public relations, you inoculate yourself against them.

Lots of good suggestions already, I'll just throw out what is probably my all-time favorite sci-fi book:

Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke

Ignore the (ghostwritten) sequels though, they're not very interesting.

Arthur C. Clarke - Rendezvous with Rama

This is my go-to recommendation. True science fiction without being too overwhelming.

if you want to know what it's like go read The Stranger By Albert Camus

I highly recommend this as a read, it will tell you everything you need to know.

The special edition that includes The Hobbit will give you a little additional clearance.

If you go to the Amazon detail page for the version Amazon itself sells (i.e. not the resellers) of Foundation and you click the link "Tell the publisher I'd like to read this on Kindle" then it'll go into a report Amazon sends the publisher. That won't help you right now, but over time it does have an effect.

Check out the book: We

George Orwell got his inspiration for 1984 from this book. Short read but damn good.

You mean like this book?

It would depend on the skill of the translator, nobody can reasonably make a sweeping statement that all translations are good or bad. Of course the original language is always to be preferred. You can buy a used edition from Amazon sellers for $0.01 + postage & packing.

/u/alcai is right. amazon associates is through the tag= portion of the url, not the ref=

ref= is for social media and search engine analytics, not commissions.

There's also an older way to incorporate an Amazon Associates ID into the URL. That URL will have obidos in it and the tag at the end. See an example here.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0743273567/assoc-id-20

Legacy Inventive new planet and lifeforms.

A Fire Upon the Deep Absolutely epic tale.

Rendezvous with Rama Wonderful story spanning centuries and galaxies.

Rama short film gives an idea of the start of the story.

All of the above are parts of series.

Go with a complete set. Make sure it has four novels and fifty-six short stories.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Sherlock-Holmes-Stories/dp/0553328255/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330901544&sr=8-1

This is the one i'm talking about

There's also this one but the author tries to keep the poetic structure intact so it's a lot harder to understand, to me anyways.

I was certain that this was going to be a link to We by Zamyatin on Amazon.

Well yeah...

Two more:

Watership Down - http://www.amazon.com/Watership-Down-Novel-Richard-Adams/dp/0743277708

Dragons of Pern series - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonflight

Now, there is sex in that book, but it's extremely brief and not graphic at ALL. It's implied and over. And it's not bad sex. It's the start of a life long pair bond.

I'm a sucker for this series(You)

and here is my wishlist

I love Kevin!

https://www.amazon.com/Origin-Species-150th-Anniversary/dp/0451529065

That's just one of many sources that i base my theory on. You act like unless there is a source that specifically states something it isnt true. It's just a theory...

A theory that explains a broader point... GMOs are just the latest in a series of human influenced selection processes that have given us everything from the Golden Retriever to a modern banana.

Sorry I took so long to get back with this but here it is. The lord of the rings one volume set which has all books in the trilogy for $9.99 on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007978OY6/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=1535523722&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0026REBFK&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=07CTKSQJANST33HVR4M2

I got mine on Amazon for $20.
Dune (Penguin Galaxy) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0143111582/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_dMQ1BbA358ZQN

this exact set on amazon is currently $19.
I did however find a paperback version for $15.74
https://www.amazon.com/Hobbit-Lord-Rings-Fellowship-Towers/dp/0345538374/ref=tmm_mmp_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

No thanks

http://www.amazon.com/We-Yevgeny-Zamyatin/dp/0380633132