Reddit mentions: The best cultural heritage fiction books
We found 341 Reddit comments discussing the best cultural heritage fiction books. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 158 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.
1. The Norse Myths (The Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library)
- Great Stories
- Clean book & cover
Features:
Specs:
Color | Multicolor |
Height | 9.18 Inches |
Length | 6.1 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | July 1981 |
Weight | 1.06 Pounds |
Width | 1.01 Inches |
2. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Specs:
Color | White |
Height | 7.9 Inches |
Length | 5.15 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | September 2008 |
Weight | 0.65 Pounds |
Width | 1 Inches |
3. Forever: A Novel
Back Bay Books
Specs:
Height | 8.3 Inches |
Length | 5.55 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | November 2003 |
Weight | 1.15 Pounds |
Width | 1.95 Inches |
4. Evolution
Specs:
Color | Multicolor |
Height | 6.8 inches |
Length | 4.2 inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | February 2004 |
Weight | 0.69 pounds |
Width | 1.5 inches |
6. The House on Mango Street
Great product!
Specs:
Color | Multicolor |
Height | 7.94 Inches |
Length | 5.19 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | April 1991 |
Weight | 0.35 Pounds |
Width | 0.47 Inches |
7. The Years of Rice and Salt: A Novel
- POWERFUL SUCTION: Thorough deep carpet cleaning, and powerful pet hair pickup on all surfaces.
- LIGHTWEIGHT VERSATILITY: Ultra-lightweight and converts into a handheld vacuum for versatile floor-to-ceiling cleaning.
- PERFECT FOR PETS: Includes specialized pet tools that capture embedded pet hair on all surfaces, while extending reach into hard-to-access areas.
- XL DUST CUP CAPACITY: The 0.68-quart dust cup allows for extended cleaning without interruption.
- LED HEADLIGHTS: Powerful lights on the handheld vacuum and nozzle reveal hidden debris and pet hair around your home.
- WHAT’S INCLUDED: Shark Rocket Pet Plus Corded Stick Vacuum, Pet Multi-Tool & Pet Crevice Tool.
Features:
Specs:
Release date | June 2003 |
8. The White Tiger: A Novel
- Great product!
Features:
Specs:
Height | 8.4375 inches |
Length | 5.5 inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | October 2008 |
Weight | 0.6503636729 pounds |
Width | 0.8 inches |
9. Look Who's Back
Specs:
Height | 9.25 Inches |
Length | 6.375 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | August 2015 |
Weight | 1.1 Pounds |
Width | 1.125 Inches |
10. Who Fears Death
- Weight Recommendation: 35+ pounds. HUGGIES Little Movers Slip On Diaper Pants Size 6 fits babies over 35 lbs. With the stretchy fit waistband for baby's comfort, easy remove tabs and pull on style for quick changes, these are perfect for when your little one is just beginning to walk.
- HUGGIES slip on diaper pants move with your baby and absorb quickly, giving total coverage and leak protection during your baby's naturally active play and keeping them dry and comfy. Unswaddle baby and set them free with HUGGIES Little Movers Diapers.
- Like a pant on the outside but a diaper on the inside, slip on diaper pants with removal tabs make changing easy whether baby is lying down or standing up. HUGGIES knows nothing is more important than how a diaper feels against your baby's sensitive skin.
- The LeakLock system keeps your baby clean and dry and provides up to 12 hours of leakproof protection. Stretchy sides give your baby a great fit. A dry, snug fitting diaper keeps your walking baby's sensitive skin safe from chafing while they explore.
- Pack your diaper bag with Little Movers Slip On Diaper Pants for long lasting dryness and comfort on outings, whether you're traveling on an overnight trip or taking a trip to the zoo. From their first smile to their first step, HUGGIES is here to help.
Features:
Specs:
Color | Multicolor |
Height | 9 Inches |
Length | 6 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | June 2011 |
Weight | 0.825 Pounds |
Width | 0.8 Inches |
11. The Years of Rice and Salt: A Novel
- Spectra
Features:
Specs:
Color | Black |
Height | 6.8 Inches |
Length | 4.15 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | June 2003 |
Weight | 0.8 Pounds |
Width | 1.17 Inches |
12. Amsterdam Stories (New York Review Books Classics)
- New York Review of Books
Features:
Specs:
Color | Grey |
Height | 8 Inches |
Length | 5.01 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | March 2012 |
Weight | 0.3968320716 Pounds |
Width | 0.39 Inches |
13. Please Look After Mom (Vintage Contemporaries)
Vintage
Specs:
Color | Black |
Height | 7.96 Inches |
Length | 5.21 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | April 2012 |
Weight | 0.62 Pounds |
Width | 0.78 Inches |
14. Lovecraft Country: A Novel
Harper
Specs:
Height | 9.1 Inches |
Length | 6.1 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | February 2016 |
Weight | 1.1 Pounds |
Width | 1.3 Inches |
15. The Master of Go
Specs:
Color | Multicolor |
Height | 8 Inches |
Length | 5.22 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | May 1996 |
Weight | 0.38801358112 Pounds |
Width | 0.56 Inches |
16. Animal's People: A Novel
- Simon Schuster
Features:
Specs:
Height | 9.25 Inches |
Length | 6.125 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | March 2009 |
Weight | 1 Pounds |
Width | 1 Inches |
17. The Great Passage
Specs:
Height | 8.25 Inches |
Length | 5.5 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | June 2017 |
Weight | 0.53 Pounds |
Width | 1 Inches |
18. Americanah (Ala Notable Books for Adults)
- Birkenstock Mayari Birko-Flor
- Flip Flop Sandal - STANDARD FITTING
- Slip On With Double Adjustable Buckles
- Suede Covered Footbed With Arched Support
- Suede and with shock-absorbing EVA soles
Features:
Specs:
Release date | May 2013 |
19. The Sword Polisher's Record: The Way of Kung-Fu (Tuttle Martial Arts)
- Plain-toe ankle boot featuring waxed leather finish and contrast stitching,Many customers buy Red Wing Heritage footwear 1/2 size smaller than their normal size
- Style No. 9016
- Topline piping
- Lug outsole
- Features black eyelets hardware and 48 inch black flat waxed lace
Features:
Specs:
Height | 8.5 Inches |
Length | 5.5 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | April 1998 |
Weight | 0.81350574678 Pounds |
Width | 0.5 Inches |
20. Antarctica: A Novel
- Digital clock with large 4-digit LED display
- Top-loading CD player with programmable track memory
- Sensitive AM/FM analog tuner. Dual alarm clock with sleep/snooze timers
- Wake to CD, radio, or buzzer. Full-range stereo speaker system
- 3.5mm headphone jack, Clock backup with 9V battery (battery not included)
Features:
Specs:
Color | Blue |
Height | 6.72 Inches |
Length | 4.2 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | July 1999 |
Weight | 1.6 Pounds |
Width | 1.4 Inches |
🎓 Reddit experts on cultural heritage fiction books
The comments and opinions expressed on this page are written exclusively by redditors. To provide you with the most relevant data, we sourced opinions from the most knowledgeable Reddit users based the total number of upvotes and downvotes received across comments on subreddits where cultural heritage fiction books are discussed. For your reference and for the sake of transparency, here are the specialists whose opinions mattered the most in our ranking.
The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
..with the caveat that it's really only almost fantasy. It has the tone, and there's one or two fantasy type elements here and there, but it's a real-world setting. That said, I loved this book. It's one of my favorites.
>Oscar is a sweet but disastrously overweight ghetto nerd who—from the New Jersey home he shares with his old world mother and rebellious sister— dreams of becoming the Dominican J.R.R. Tolkien and, most of all, finding love. But Oscar may never get what he wants. Blame the fukú—a curse that has haunted Oscar’s family for generations, following them on their epic journey from Santo Domingo to the USA.
Ursula K. Le Guin is pretty reliable when it comes to mixing up PoCs into her books, so I'd search that. Bonus, she writes both science fiction and fantasy iirc so she might have something in between.
Isabel Allende -- she's technically a Latin American literary type author, but a lot of Latin American literature is uhhhh.... I think the term for it is "magical realism." They're typically set in South America, often the characters or themes relate to native populations, and I recall a secondary character in one book who was essentially a MtF transsexual.
Aha! I found it. It's Eva Luna.
>As the years pass and her imprudent nature sends Eva from household to household—from the home of a doctor famed for mummifying the dead to a colorful whorehouse and the care of a beautiful transsexual—it is Eva’s magical imagination that keeps her alive and fuels her ardent encounters with lovers of all kinds. And as her South American homeland teeters on the brink of political chaos, and Eva’s fate is intertwined with guerrilla fighters and revolutionaries, she will find her life’s calling—and the soul mate who will envelop her in a love entirely beyond her mystical inventions.
It has the same issue as Oscar Wao (actually for the same reason, probably): they're not "fantasy" in the sense of world-building and dragons, but "with fantastical and magical elements."
I also used to really like books by Sheri S Tepper, and a few of them had women's rights themes, but I can't remember any PoCs or non-cis main characters off the top of my head. She writes sci fi, but they were enough on the fantasy end of the spectrum that I could handle them. I'm not really a sci fi person.
I also dug up this Amazon list: "Multicultural Speculative Fiction".
Also, I found a "Multicultural Graphic Novels" list which probably isn't for you but looked too awesome to not mention.
Editing to add:
"The Privilege of the Sword": technically Young Adult, I think. The uncle is gay. Or maybe bi. I think he had orgies. Yeah, that would make him bi, I think.
Patricia Briggs: Mercy Thompson. This entire series. The protagonist is half native american, and she works in a garage. The entire series is pretty imaginative, although I can't remember that her heritage is really dealt with other than "and that's why she can turn into a coyote." Patricia Briggs has been one of my favorite writers pretty much since I was a teen. Before she got popular. I'm a hipster.
Another Amazon list: "Some Lesbian Fantasy and SF Favorites". I recognize a lot of the authors' names, but the only one I've read anything by is Tanya Huff. She's very good, and the rest that I recognize have high reviews and good reputations.
Another list along the same lines
>I don’t regret having one, just extremely ashamed of being sexual and communicating it to girls and also showing it to the world. Attracting girls’ attention and whatnot isn’t very hard but progressing things to dating, holding hands and eventually sex is impossible. I can’t even call them or message them on Facebook or Whatsapp because I just feel like an idiot for doing so. Making a move in clubs and bars is also difficult although I once got close to leaving with a girl but she didn't want to. I got made fun of a lot growing up for not having a girlfriend and this made me feel like i do not deserve one. It doesn't matter if I've got the green light to go ahead I just feel really ashamed do it. Even something like looking at a fit girl wearing a short skirt makes me feel bad for checking her out and that I shouldn’t be doing it.
I know what you mean. I've been there myself, but even when I was there I was entirely self-aware of my shame and I was skeptical of the validity of my emotional reactions; I realized they were ingrained. Being aware of your emotional reactions allows you to be emotionally proactive. Your sex-negative problem is mostly an emotional issue, and not much else, right? I've been there. I wouldn't doubt that you are also decent looking and have both latent and actualized social skills. Most intelligent introverts have a lot of potential to be who they want to be because they know themselves more deeply than others. You must use your introverted nature to your advantage and recognize the differences in others and yourself. In all honesty, there are an infinite number of unwritten rules; everyone's abstract/emotional logic is different. Many of them are foundational and predictable, however; including yours and mine. Like anything else, being emotionally predictable is not a black/white issue. It is a grey area, and you have to balance your reliability with creativity.
Being made fun of for not having a girlfriend is just as sexist as being made fun of for not having a boyfriend; gender equal too. Were you ever shamed for not having a boyfriend? It's clearly a matter of groupthink and extroverted style; not for everyone. Dating relationships, for extroverts especially, are often attention-getting and showy. They wear their relationships like trophies won. Usually introverts prefer a more private relationship because they have less social desire and are often shamed because of it. Introverts are “themselves” more often in private. Extroverts are “themselves” more often in public. There is no shame deserved either way, regardless of popular opinion. Both styles have their strengths and weaknesses, and you should try to introject some of the traits that you enjoy in others; regardless of type. That is how you become balanced.
>I’m receiving counselling from a pastor who advocates the whole “no sex before marriage” thing and believes that people should only date to get married and sex is only for making kids which is stupid IMO because I do not plan on getting married anytime soon.
Counseling from a Catholic pastor? Watch out, that is one of the most notorious sex-negative societies out there. They own the abstinence-only charade while they parade horribles. Marriage is not the answer to anything; it is an institution of the state. Anything else attached is sentimental.
If you haven't already, I recommend doing an in-depth study of animal sexual behaviors; especially the most intelligent animals. All animals have sex for pleasure, but some animals are only driven to have sex at certain times of the year; humans are on a 24/7 system.
>I’ve tried the no fap route and gotten very high days counts but that hasn’t really helped me at all.
Sexual frustration doesn't help anyone. If you are mindful, then you can use your libido to further your goals, but it is not an all-cure.
>Got any sources to help overcome sex-negative perspectives? I’m interested in recreational sex not baby making sex.
Absolutely. I recommend starting with actual sex science and learning about male and female psychology and neurology. Then work your way into reading about sex culture. You should also study developmental psychology as you will probably need the clinical context in order to objectively self-evaluate your childhood influences; it is necessary for self-therapy. The best therapy will always be self-therapy; no one will ever know you better than yourself.
Evolutionary Science and Morals Philosophy:
The Selfish Gene
The Moral Landscape
The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined
Justice: What's The Right Thing To Do?
Sex Psychology, Science, and Neurology:
Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex
The Female Brain
The Male Brain
Why Men Want Sex and Women Need Love
What Do Women Want
Why Women Have Sex: Understanding Sexual Motivations from Adventure to Revenge (and Everything in Between)
Sex: The world's favorite pastime fully revealed
Behavioral Psychology and Abstract Economics:
How Pleasure Works
Freakonomics
Quiet: The Power of Introverts In A World That Can't Stop Talking
Thinking Fast And Slow
We Are All Weird
Developmental Psychology:
Nurture Shock
Hauntings: Dispelling The Ghosts That Run Our Lives
Empathy Building:
Half The Sky
The House On Mango Street
Me Before You
The Fault In Our Stars
Also check out James Hollis' Understanding The Psychology of Men lecture if you can find it.
Movies: XXY, Tom Boy, Dogtooth, Shame, Secretary, Nymphomaniac, Juno, Beautiful Creatures, and The Man From Earth.
All of these things are related, but it is up to you to make the connections; pick and choose which material suits your interests best. These are the things that came to mind first, and they have all influenced my perspectives.
Who Fears Death is an amazing fantasy book that has themes of magic as well as racism and sexism. It's an amazing read!
I love sci-fi and my tops are the Hyperion Cantos, Robert A. Heinlein books (The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Time Enough For Love, etc.), Ursula K Le Guin books (Earthsea, which is actually fantasy, Very Far Away From Anything Else, which is actually just fiction, The Dispossessed, Rocannon's World, The Left Hand of Darkness, etc.) and John Varley books (Titan, Wizard, Demon. a trilogy. Millennium, Steel Beach).
I'm currently reading another sci-fi trilogy, Three, Fall of Morningside, Dawnbreaker, which I like a lot. Jay Posey also wrote another sci-fi novel, Outriders, also very good.
I have Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children on my nightstand to read next. Apparently, there's a sequel book, too, so I'll probably read that after.
John Green's books are really good YA fiction. The Fault in our Stars, Finding Alaska, Paper Towns I've read and enjoyed.
Read any Neil Gaiman? I recommend American Gods and Anansi Boys, as well as Good Omens co-written with Terry Pratchett, also the author of many amazing Discworld novels. The books about the witches are the best.
Random other books I've read & enjoyed: Their Eyes Were Watching God, The Pelican Brief, Invitation To The Game, Throne of Glass series, The Invisible Library, The Paper Magician trilogy, The Night Circus, The Shepherd Moon, (Poison Study, Magic Study, Fire Study) trilogy, The Lost Legends of New Jersey.
Oh and if you like cats a lot like I do, Tails of Wonder and Imagination is a collection of very interesting short stories.
Yes. I became interested in Viking culture not long before I heard of the show, but the show has definitely helped keep my curiosity going. My interest in Norse history goes like this:
My interest in the Vikings isn't necessarily about the specific dates, locations, etc. It's more about the lifestyle, the myths, the attitude they had. And Vikings does a great job, IMO, of keeping that interest going. It's inspiring me to get in touch with nature again, learn how to do things I've never done, etc. Plus it's entertaining!
EDIT: Here's the two books I've bought (so far) regarding Viking history. You'll note that they're basically children's books. The first one deals with the myths on a children's story level, the second has more in depth analysis on the myths, but without the pictures. I think simply reading about the things the Vikings may have lived by is better than just learning what date Bjorn raided "whatever-land". Anyways, here's the two books I have:
Book of Norse Myths: Kid's book with pictures, walking you through the myths on an introductory level
The Norse Myths: A much more comprehensive book about the myths
I also have two other books related to Norse history or culture:
Practical Guide to the Runes
Practical Heathen's Guide to Asatru: For learning about the way a heathen's mind works and how he lives his life. I don't follow the stuff in the book, but I'm putting some of it into practice as I explore my ancestral connections
Vertical:
I'd put a vote in for Flying Witch (I'm pretty certain that none of the written content is objectionable and the anime is clean as I watched it with my young niece), My Ordinary Life -Nijijou (possibly has objectionable content due to mean pranks), and The Garden of Words.
Warning: "Innocent World" is mismarketed by Barnes and Noble as a children's book. It is anything but!
Yen Press:
http://yenpress.com/books/by-rating/
All ages. (Although I'd object to Baccano due to Ladd: All-together now: "Thank you, ..., the star is here!").
Everything in Mature is definitely not recommended.
Youtsuba and ! (easy recommendation), Spice and Wolf,
J-Novel Club:
Everything but Smartphone (ecchi), Arifureta (very sociopathic protagonist, jerk to everyone), arguably Little Apocalypse (ecchi), and arguably Grimgar (permadeath). +1 for Realist Hero, Infinite Dendrogram. A subscription makes for a good Christmas present due to the content model (you should look it up elsewhere).
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MAVRCW8/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
The Great Passage Amazon-sponsored translation is not a true LN, but it has an anime, and it's pretty great.
I also really loved A Suitable Boy. I think it's brilliant.
For a completely contrasting look at India, I recommend the white tiger by Aravind Adiga.
I think The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is absolutely brilliant, one of the best novels of the last decade.
White Teeth is another really wonderful book about multiculturalism and immigrant life that really stands out.
For a rip-roaring old-fashioned adventure yarn, you can't do better than
Sea of Poppies.
Finally for some superior storytelling and brilliant narrative experimentation try Cloud Atlas or Ghostwritten
When I started watching this show a few years ago I ended up buying quite a few books about Norse Mythology and Asatru (the reconstruction religion that is becoming more popular).
Here are a few good ones
The Norse Myths This is a good basic breakdown of the stories in the Sagas/Eddas and is easy to read.
Viking Age: Everyday Life During the Extraordinary Era of the Norsemen This is a fantastic book that really isn't related to the myths (there is a religion section) but this is a great book that goes over the everyday lives of Vikings and their families. Everything from political structure down to what they ate and how they dressed. It also has great illustrations.
The Prose Edda: Norse Mythology (Penguin Classics) - one of the source materials of the myths.
The Sagas of Ragnar Lodbrok - I dont have this one personally but it is on my list to buy.
If you want to read about the reconstruction religion that has gained in popularity since the 70s check this book out. Essential Asatru: Walking the Path of Norse Paganism - This is another easy to read book that not only goes over the basics of the Myths/Gods but also goes over the ceremonies and rituals of those who choose to practice today what the Vikings practiced. Minus the live sacrifices... those have been replaced with food and drink thankfully.
If you are just wanting to dip your toes into learning about the myths I cannot recommend the first link more than enough. It is far easier to read than the Eddas/Sagas and from what I understand from other subs is a widely regarded starting point.
Also check out /r/norse and /r/asatru.
If you are looking for actual good movies based off a game there is The Go Master. It is a semi-historical account of Go Seigen, who was one of the leading players responsible for the "shin fuseki" which was a big advancement on the opening theory of go.
If you want to read a novelized version of the same story there is the "Master of Go" by Yasunari Kawabata It won the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature and really encapsulates a lot of Japanese and Chinese culture at the time.
If you are just looking for campy goodness there was "Witchboard" and "The Oracle" both loosely based off of the whole Ouija/fortune telling games. Neither of those were really good but fun to riff on.
I would like to see a movie based on something like Core Worlds or even Star Realms. They are both self contained enough that they can keep the plot going. I think the new Core Worlds with the addition of more interesting heroes could really turn it out into at least a decent movie.
How are there 45 comments without a mention of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao?
Ostensibly, it's about a shy, scifi/fantasy-obsessed geek growing up in the considerably-more-machismo-oriented immigrant Dominican community in bridge&tunnel Jersey, but eventually finding some massive, iron-clad balls. But you don't read Junot Diaz for the plot -- you read him because he writes like Milan Kundera with a sense of humor, or like David Foster Wallace with a heart, or like David Sedaris if David Sedaris had misspent his youth as a Dungeon Master. Also because it's a great, HST-esque crashcourse in the bizarro politics of the Cold-War Carribean.
TL;DR: This book is fucking awesome.
I loved these books for their beautiful writing and narrative structure:
Other suggestions, also well written but not quite in the same class as the ones above:
The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
Hello mate, I would recommend you this order: First of all, The Norse Myths:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0394748468/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687622&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B002HLAF32&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=5ST3KMPDJ47HVWWV2AW4
The who´s who in nordic pantheon. Has the most known myths plus a superb introduction to cosmology. Myths are in chronological order, from Ginnungagap to Ragnarok. The writing is very good, adult-oriented with some touches of dry humor.
After it go for the 2 Eddas. Why is important to know about the myths or the gods? Because all the books you are going to read name or make references to the gods or to myths or both. You will want to know what on Midgard are they talking about.
After that, if you want to know more about Asatru specifically, read in this order:
The Asatru Edda
https://www.amazon.com/%C3%81satr%C3%BA-Edda-Sacred-Lore-North/dp/1440131783/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1473832369&sr=1-1&keywords=asatru+edda
The Norroena Society made a superb job publishing this Edda taking away all the christian influence. Really great job. They made with the Eddas what Dr. Viktor Rydberg did with the teutonic myths.
Next in line:
A Practical Heathen's Guide to Asatru
https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Heathens-Guide-Asatru/dp/0738733873/ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=8M3GCMHG28EVGP5090FX
Exactly what it says.
Now, if later on your path you feel the itch to learn more about teutonic myths, their social construct, history etc etc let me know that I can recommend more books depending on your needs.
People keep telling me about this book with my username. I've never actually read it. My name comes from this. It's in memoriam of a dead friend who liked drugs a little too much.
I'll have to go pick up that book one of these days. People keep telling me about it.
If you ever remember the name of that other book, which sounds like a Chick tract, just tell me the name. I can go fetch it for myself. No need to be buying me stuff, k.
If you like to read, hell yeah, let's talk. My hubs and I are both bookworms to an amazing degree. I just read one called Everything I Never Told You which won some kind of award from Amazon - best new or first book of the year, can't remember. It's a mindfucker.
The only book that ever made me cry was written from the point of view of a family dog. It was made into a movie that completely sucked, but the end of the book had me bawling. I've had to fight to retrieve that book from people I've loaned it to; only one printing, there aren't that many around, so I wasn't able to just let them keep it.
Want to read one from the point of view of a velociraptor? Here you go.
Another mindfucker: Room. Jesus, this one will have your skin crawling and hair standing up on the back of your neck.
My main thing is historical fiction, though. Gotta be well-researched and accurate - and yes, I check. I can go on and on about this, but the best is Edward Rutherfurd. He takes several lineages and follows them throughout history - Sarum starts in prehistory, do that one first - with a ton of detail.
Hubs is into science fiction, favorite author is Neal Stephenson. We both dig Kim Stanley Robinson, though. If you've never read his stuff, try this. If sci-fi is your thing, I can ask him for some recommendations.
When I say that Himself and I are bookworms, I am not kidding. We turned the dining room into a library to contain the overflow. You walk in our front door, and to your right is a wall; to your left, a library. Pretty fucking cool, if you ask me.
On the basis of Indian Creek Chronicles, I'd say there's a good chance you'd get a great deal out of The Outermost House, one of the classics of modern American naturalist non-fiction. The premise if very simple -- the author, Henry Beston, spent a year living in virtual solitude on the easternmost house on the American coast, keeping notes on what he observed. The result is a brief, zen-like meditation on nature's movement through a single place over a single cycle of the seasons. Highly influential.
Since it looks like you're interested in the cultural conflict between modernity and tradition, I'd suggest The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, which follows the treatment of a young Hmong girl whose immigrant parents struggle with the California health care system in dealing with her undiagnosed seizures.
Great to see John McPhee on your list -- hands down one of my favorite non-fiction writers. Just about anything he's written will be compulsively informative and shift the way you think about his chosen topic. Levels of the Game is a brilliant depiction of a single game between Arthur Ashe and Clark Graebner, that delves into the way in which personal biography informs how an athlete plays and ultimately contributes to the meaning of the game.
Along similar lines, Yusanari Kawabata's The Master of Go deals with damn near close to all of the themes at heart in the books listed above, and will likely teach you a little about the ancient game of Go, if you have any interest in that. An idiosyncratic pick, perhaps, but it's one of my favorite novels.
I am an norse enthusiast who has only superficial knowledge.
I found this book Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley-Holland. It is a book for people exactly like me - people who don't have extensive knowledge of the Norse Myths and are yet interested in the overall culture. The book has each myth as a story and it is cyclical - it begins with the creation of the world and ends with Ragnarok. So basically, it contains all the stories in the Eddas - in a much more reader friendly manner than the usual academic works.
All in all, a very enjoyable book. I'd highly recommend it.
...although, the price mentioned in Amazon seems pretty high. I bought a different version of the book at my place for less than half that price.
This is an amazing contest! This subreddit astounds me everyday!
I'd love to win this Kindle, I'm heading on a big vacation in August (China, S.Korea and Japan) for 30 days and I don't know how I'll survive without books to pass the time! Travel time I mean, not touristy time.
A book I'd love is The Years of Rice and Salt
I'm not familiar with books about body image but I don't think that books need to be about body image to make young black kids comfortable with their blackness - just reading about normal, well-written black characters is enough for some kids. (Even seeing a black face on the back of the book or illustrated on the cover is a good thing for young people.) There are a bunch of books out there that address the topic of fitting in and what it's like to be black in America and feel "normal," but those books are usually catered to pre-teens and I don't know enough about them to give any recommendations.
There are a bunch of good books out there by black writers (all of the ones I can think of right now are by women) that have black main characters and convey a positive message (not just about being black) that I think might help. Check out these books and their authors:
It's good stuff. Some of the writing is just so-so, but the idea is pretty solid. Base human stock + a few nudges from bioengineers = wide variety of forms suited to ecological niches vacated by mass extinctions.
If you like it, you might also like the novel Evolution by Stephen Baxter. I'll warn you, like most of his writing, it's a little bleak.
Around 20% into The Years of Rice and Salt, by Kim Stanley Robinson. It took a good long while to get into, but I've started to really enjoy it. - This is on sale for $2!
Reamde, by Neal Stephenson. Few hundred pages into it. Very good.
Listening to Ilium, by Dan Simmons. Loved some of his other work (i.e. Hyperion Cantos, The Terror, Carrion Comfort). This one also took a while to get into, but really enjoying it.
UW robbed me of my love for reading for fun.
A ~year after graduating, I was recommended Look Who's Back, which is a funny book about Hitler waking up in 2011, with no recollection on what happened.
It turned into a movie, and is a good/short read.
After that, I read:
I forgot how much I like spending an afternoon sipping coffee and reading a great book.
De Uitvreter / Titaantjes / Dichtertje / Mene Tekel by the Dutch author Nescio. It's been published in English as Amsterdam Stories.
They're short stories. De Uitvreter (The Freeloader) and Titaantjes (Little Titans) in particular are true classics about youth, appreciating nature, and naive idealism leading either to cynical conformism or going mad. They were written like 100 years ago but are a true joy to read. Especially recommended for those with an interest in existentialist philosophy/literature.
Hi there!
I always try to run a Borges circlejerk here in /r/Spanish, but today, according to what you say, I'd suggest you read the Spanish version of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz.
I hear the Spanish version is excellent. Its the story about this Dominican-American nerd and his neckbeard struggles to find love in a wonderful narration that incorporates elements from comic book and science fiction references to Dominican jargon. Also, its not too long. Have a go at it!
Ninja edit: Linked the English version, so here's the Spanish Kindle reference.
Forever by Pete Hamill was pretty good.
>This widely acclaimed bestseller is the magical, epic tale of an extraordinary man who arrives in New York in 1740 and remains ... forever. Through the eyes of Cormac O'Connor - granted immortality as long as he never leaves the island of Manhattan - we watch New York grow from a tiny settlement on the tip of an untamed wilderness to the thriving metropolis of today. And through Cormac's remarkable adventures in both love and war, we come to know the city's buried secrets - the way it has been shaped by greed, race, and waves of immigration, by the unleashing of enormous human energies, and, above all, by hope.
I would highly recommended this book as an introduction to Norse mythology. It's easy to read without being dumbed down, and it's very fun and engaging. Really fantastic read.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Both are Pulitzer Prize winners, guy-ish and accessible literary fiction.
Also, James Elroy's L.A. trilogy, The Big Nowhere, L.A. Confidential and White Jazz. An omg his autobiography My Dark Places.
My husband recommends anything by Jim Harrison.
EDIT: A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole and The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
Not Asian American, but based on that list, you may be interested in Please Look After Mom, by Kyung-Sook Shin. Someone gave it to me as a gift a while ago. I still consider it one of the best gifts I've ever received.
Oh, that sounds fantastic. I will check the book out, thanks for the tip! And I'll curiously await the movie.
I too watched Jacob's Ladder because of Silent Hill, funny enough. And I agree that games can be much more efficient in communicating this type of genre. The closest anyone has ever gotten to Lovecraft must be Eternal Darkness, a gem on the Nintendo Gamecube (with an incredibly terrible trailer).
While we're recommending books:
Matt Ruff's Lovecraft Country is a great read and homage, mixing the real horror of African-American life in southern states during the Jim Crow era with elder gods.
The novellas of Nescio (Jan Hendrik Frederik Grönloh), recently published in translation as "amsterdam stories" by New York Review Books Classics.
Of those especially 'little titans', (roughly) about a group of young friends growing up and failing to live up to the ideals of their youth.
Stilistically these little novellas are very simple, but they are very melancholic and capture the hopefulness of youth and the defeat and melancholy of growing older. I think the themes are relevant to everyone and something in it's style just endures and hits you with the same intensity, as if it was written now instead of a hundred years ago.
Here's a small excerpt, about Bavink, the painter of the group (my own shoddy translation):
> '(…) Go stand with your back to the water and listen. Can you stay out of it?'
> 'out of what?'
> 'Out of the sea?' I nodded, I could easily do that.
> 'I barely can,' said Bavink. 'That melancholy sound behind me is so strange. As if it wants something from me. God's also in that. God cries out. It's no fun, he's everywhere. And everywhere he is he's crying out to Bavink. Your own name becomes silly if it's repeated that often. And then Bavink has to paint. Then God wants a painted morsel of linen. Then Bavink cries out 'God'. And they keep calling for each other. To God it's just a game, he's endless and everywhere. He just keeps on crying out. But Bavink only has one stupid head and one stupid right hand and can only work on one stupid little painting at a time. And if he thinks that he has God then he has linen and paint. Then God's everywhere except where Bavink wants him. And then this guy comes along and writes that Bavink is blessed. And Hoyer learns it by heart and starts driveling on about it to Bekker. Talk about blessed. You know what I want? That I could make railway timetables. God would leave that guy alone, he isn't worth the trouble.'
> (…)
> The cool wind blew around us. The sea rushed deploringly, deploring without knowing why. Sadly the sea washes ashore. My thoughts are a sea, sadly they roll onto their boundaries.
> A new time would commence, we could still make great things happen. I tried my best to believe it, I really tried.
Oh man, I read that book almost ten years ago, and it still breaks my heart in a way that only a couple of others have. I've always considered myself a very empathetic person, but that book made me realize that there was an enormous gap between my own personal experience and what many (most?) others on earth go through. It's not that I thought I knew everything there was to know about the world, but I always thought I could at least imagine it.
FWIW I'm an American woman, and I've always made it a point to read books by women, which I thought did give me a well-rounded view of the world. That's certainly true to some extent, but I'd never given much thought to literary diversity beyond man/woman, black/white, maybe American/European. It's amazing the blind spots we all have, and I'm sure I still have plenty.
For the lazy, along with a few others that had a similar impact on me:
What is the What by Dave Eggers
Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan
The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
I haven't read that one myself (though it wouldn't surprise me if /u/Aleglad has), but I can give another recommendation. The Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley-Holland is a fantastic prose retelling of many of our stories. He does a good job at combing all the versions of the stories he can find and trying to make educated choices on which version of things to use where the tellings diverge from one another. Including explanations of the differences between sources and why he chose the paths he did. Entertaining and informative.
The only times this has happened to me were
The Contortionist's Handbook by Craig Clevenger and
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
I couldn't tell you what it was about them that sucked me in so drastically, but they were pretty good books. :)
You might want to check out Antarctica. It's a hard SF novel dealing with living sustainably on and, to an extent, colonizing Antarctica. It also features breathtaking and extensive descriptions of the geology and geography of the continent. If you're interested in the place, you'll love it.
The Great Passage by Shion Miura, translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter.
Not free per se, but I received it for free as part of Amazon's Kindle First program through Prime. I never expected a book about a group of people dedicated to releasing a dictionary to be so compelling. It's book of the year material for me.
Peter Hamill's Forever is about a man who arrives in New York City in 1740 and through events becomes immortal as long as he does not leave the island of Manhattan. It's a pretty interesting concept and allows the reader to trace both the character's story, as well as the growth of NYC from the mid-18th century onwards.
Please Look After Mom (엄마를 부탁해) by Kyung-sook Shin (신경숙). Quite interesting contemporary literature, which I enjoyed a lot.
http://www.amazon.com/Please-Look-After-Vintage-Contemporaries/dp/0307739511
or support your local bookstore!
Litany of Earth is excellent. Can't wait for the full length novel based on it.
This also looks interesting, though haven't read it yet: Lovecraft Country -- a novel which mixes the mythos with the the Negro Motorist Green Book.
Forever by Peter Hammell is one of my favorites, it's slow to start but after the first chapter, I was hooked! Another is by a local Connecticut author it's based on his personal experience in Ukraine at the fall of the Soviet Union while learning about Chernobyl Journey To Chernobyl: ENCOUNTERS IN A RADIOACTIVE ZONE by Glenn Cheney, the Amazon reviews for both a mixed, but I loved them.
Forever by Pete Hamill is about a guy who is immortal as long as he doesn't leave Manhattan. Hamill is an excellent writer and I really enjoyed this book.
The Great Passage just came out, the novel that the anime Fune wo Amu is based on. It's fiction about making a new dictionary so there are a lot of bits about the Japanese language in it, and the translation works better than I expected given the differences from English.
The Elder Edda is definitely the better of the two; Snorri's Edda is very christianized and therefore doesn't stay true to Norse mythology.
One of the best books would be Kevin Crossley-Holland's The Norse Myth. It's very simple to read yet keeps the essence of the myths.
I don't know about the movie, but there is an excellent novel about it called Animal's People.
The Croning by Laird Barron
Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff
Eutopia by David Nickle
Maplecroft by Cherie Priest
Carter & Lovecraft by Jonathan L. Howard
Just a few modern lovecraftian tales for everyone :)
This was my first Norse book to buy on Amazon, I completely love it and recommend it.
Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:
amazon.co.uk
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amazon.es
amazon.com.br
amazon.nl
amazon.co.jp
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I borrowed this from the library recently and it was pretty good. 8.5/10 would recommend:
https://www.amazon.com/Norse-Myths-Pantheon-Folklore-Library/dp/0394748468/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
It was well talked about in my English class in college. Animal's People has become pretty popular.
a good starter is this book http://www.amazon.com/Norse-Myths-Pantheon-Folklore-Library/dp/0394748468 (sorry about the link, i'm on mobile). the author puts the myths in order as best as he can, and in the back he has an appendix discussing the source material he used.
Don't know what you like to read so I'm going to go a few ways, but these are good ''stuck in bed'' books. By Author (because thats how i like to read):
Haruki Murakami:
Hunter S Thompson (and related):*
Manuel Puig (these are shorter):
Not by same authors, but would be good together:
Favorites
Feel Better!
For anyone who was a fan of Fune wo Amu and is in the US, the translated novel is free on Amazon right now.
And yes. I did just let out a little fangirl squeal IRL. How did you ever guess...
For background reference, Wikipedia.
For the Norse myths, the poet Kevin Crossley-Holland's The Norse Myths is marvelous, and the end notes and bibliography are very thorough if you want to go further or read the sources.
For Greek, D'Aulaires' as others have suggested for lively tellings. Rose's Handbook of Greek Mythology for reference. Bullfinch is complete and standard but a little dull. Hesiod and the so-called Homeric Hymns are among the primary source material if you want to go further.
Ovid was a fine Roman poet who retold many of the Greek stories in the Metamorphoses - stories of Transformations. Roman mythology as we commonly think of it is largely derivative of Greek mythology, with the names changed, but Roman religion was a complicated layering of native beliefs and foreign cults. Still, for background to Milton, all you really need is a gloss relating the Greek and Roman names, so you can read the stories as told by Greeks or Romans.
Richard H. Wilkinson's Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt and Reading Egyptian Art are good references.
(edited for formatting)
Forever by Pete Hamill. If you happen to have seen the cutesy ABC tv adaptation, the book is much darker and beautifully written.
Some books:
Fairly sure that Qi Magazine can now be accessed online for free, and the Journal of Baguazhang.
This encyclopedia is great; not quite Bulfinch's cousin, but very informative.
For something more like Bulfinch, this book is a damn good introduction.
I've recently been enjoying The Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley-Holland. Not exactly heavy reading, but it is very accessible and easy to pick up.
I really liked this book. The author writes in a way that is easy enough to follow without a bunch of prior knowledge.
I read the book (Amazon link) and enjoyed it -- very curious to see how they adapted it to anime. I have to remember to check it out.
Not sure if it qualifies as fantasy (as it's an alternative history with some fantasy elements), but:
The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson. I really enjoyed it.
This may not fit - it's been maybe 15 years since I read it, and my memories are hazy. But Evolution by Stephen Baxter might be the thing for you. I definitely enjoyed it.
Not wing chun specific (more general kung fu) but my Sifu recommended i read "The Sword Polisher's Record" by Adam Hsu and indeed i would recommend it too.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Sword-Polishers-Record-Kung-fu/dp/0804831386/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405186946&sr=8-1&keywords=the+sword+polishers+record
Just restarted The White Tiger for what seems like the millionth time. For some reason I always get bored with that book and start reading something else.
Also reading the Southern Vampire series for fun.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Diaz. Great book. I highly recommend it, although since you don't know me I suppose that recommendation doesn't mean all that much. I believe it won the National Book Award, but I could be wrong.
Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Brief-Wondrous-Life-Oscar-Wao/dp/1594483299/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1289934481&sr=1-1
I would suggest you taking a look at "The Norse Myths" by Kevin Crossley-Holland. A perfect guide into the norse mythology. It starts of with a brief explanation and then tells all the myths in a fantasy-novel style but always keeps the facts accurate.
Edit: Found it on amazon, and it's on sale!
Pastwatch By Orson Scott Card shows the efforts of some time travelers to effect exactly what you're referring to, but only one or two chapters is actually set in the altered timeline.
I second pinguz's offering of The Years of Rice and Salt, but you should be aware that there's some soft sci-fi/mysticism about reincarnation tucked away in it, like in a lot of her work (though I found it quite tasteful).
I really enjoyed this one. http://www.amazon.com/Forever-A-Novel-Pete-Hamill/dp/0316735698
"The magical, epic tale of an extraordinary man who arrives in New York in 1740 and remains ... forever"
I'm not saying a kid from Lesotho and a kid living in Jamaica will share an innate cultural bond - I am saying that if those two kids both come to the US, they will both be received as Black and treated accordingly, and that will create some commonality of experience between them, and that experience will be different from the experience of a kid received as White in the US. In fact, that commonality of experience might prompt them to want to, say, sit together in the cafeteria, so they can hang out with others who understand their experience from having also lived it firsthand. Have you read Americanah? It's a really beautiful book, and it talks - among other things - about the experience of immigrating to the US from Nigeria and discovering that you are "Black."
Many folks more eloquent than myself have written extensively about why colorblindness is not a helpful ideology in terms of actually ending racism - here are some links.
One book that I read for school was The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. It is a poetry book that tells the story of Cisneros's childhood. It eloquently captures the life of a girl of Hispanic immigrants. I am not a big fan of poems, but Cisneros has a way of writing poetry that I really like.
Yes, you can buy it on Amazon
https://www.amazon.de/Look-Whos-Back-Timur-Vermes/dp/1623653339
Here's a good synopsis of Norse mythology:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0394748468/ref=redir_mdp_mobile?ref_=pe_385040_30332190_pe_175190_21431760_M3T1_ST1_dp_5#immersive_view?1377837363569
I loved The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Oscar is a character most can relate to on some level, he's fat, nerdy, loves fantasy novels, star wars and role-playing games. He also can't seem to ever get laid, crazy huh?
Edit: thank you for downvoting with no explanation. Maybe I should have posted my comment as an imgur link?
I had this book a few years back that was a pretty decent retelling of most of the stories. It wasn't too dense either. http://www.amazon.com/Norse-Myths-Pantheon-Folklore-Library/dp/0394748468
You may also enjoy Stephen Baxter's Evolution.
http://www.amazon.com/Years-Rice-Salt-Stanley-Robinson-ebook/dp/B000FBFNPG is a compassionate story about lives after deaths
no no you dont need any of that. what you do need is this http://www.amazon.com/Norse-Myths-Pantheon-Folklore-Library/dp/0394748468 "Norse Myths" it will tell you everything you need to know about how badass and awesome that the scandanavians really are
Fulfilled: Kim Stanley Robinson (plus two or three more). And, to be more directly Marxist, his thesis advisor Fredric Jameson.
Google found this
I kinda want to read it now, it looks hilarious.
These are all books on my list to read from various suggestions. Maybe one will spark your interest:
Every Day "Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.
There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere."
1Q84"The year is 1984 and the city is Tokyo. A young woman named Aomame follows a taxi driver’s enigmatic suggestion and begins to notice puzzling discrepancies in the world around her. She has entered, she realizes, a parallel existence, which she calls 1Q84 —“Q is for ‘question mark.’ A world that bears a question.”
The Mists of Avalon "Here is the magical legend of King Arthur, vividly retold through the eyes and lives of the women who wielded power from behind the throne. A spellbinding novel, an extraordinary literary achievement, THE MISTS OF AVALON will stay with you for a long time to come...."
The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao "Oscar is a sweet but disastrously overweight ghetto nerd who—from the New Jersey home he shares with his old world mother and rebellious sister—dreams of becoming the Dominican J.R.R. Tolkien and, most of all, finding love. But Oscar may never get what he wants. Blame the fukú—a curse that has haunted Oscar’s family for generations, following them on their epic journey from Santo Domingo to the USA. Encapsulating Dominican-American history, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao opens our eyes to an astonishing vision of the contemporary American experience and explores the endless human capacity to persevere—and risk it all—in the name of love."
The Fault in Our Stars "Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Agustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten."
Kim Stanley Robinson - The Years of Rice and Salt
edit - TL;DR: Europe was entirely wiped out by the black plague, so events took an interesting turn
Evolution, by Stephen Baxter is an interesting read, and includes dinosaurs in the relevant time period.
It's called Look Who's Back, and it's been translated into English if you're interested.
I wish he'd have included some thoughts on other black SF writers instead on concentrating on films. There aren't many besides Butler and Delany, though.
N. K. Jemison (The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms) is a new black SF writer that shows promise. Also Nnedi Okorafor (Who Fears Death).
Your new book? You're Kevin Crossley-Holland? That's awesome!
Anyway, I already have this one (and by the way, thank you for giving me not only an informative book, but on that looks freaking gorgeous). Should I buy the new one too?
KSR's Antarctica sounds like it borrowed from this guy.
A lot of good ones have already been said but here are a few less famous ones...
A Farewell to Alms
The Mystery of Capital
The White Tiger: A Novel
So I saw that your first crush was Drew Barrymore, so I'm assuming your with a queer woman or a straight guy. So no off limits huh? How old were you when you lost your v card?
This is what I would like if you go with used :). Thanks
Nope, not at all. The narrative structure consists of a bunch of loosely related vignettes about the main character's time living on the eponymous Mango Street. All together this makes for a 112-page-long novel if you get the same copy I have.
Possibly the Western Sahara. It's claimed by Morocco but has an official status of a "disputed zone" with the Polisario Front.
And since you probably won't leave civilization, I would have two suggestions that you might enjoy.
http://www.vbs.tv/watch/far-out--2/heimo-s-arctic-refuge-full-length
http://www.amazon.com/Antarctica-Kim-Stanley-Robinson/dp/0553574027
http://www.amazon.com/Red-Mars-Trilogy-Stanley-Robinson/dp/0553560735
Well, you could start off with the book and the movie is coming to Netflix in April(?).
I guess that I need to read "The Years of Rice and Salt" by Kim Stanley Robinson again. I was hoping that I-we would remember it. It was really long but very much for me-us in /r/woahdude/
http://www.amazon.com/The-Years-Rice-Salt-ebook/dp/B000FBFNPG/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1343796106&sr=1-1&keywords=the+years+of+rice+and+salt
Stephen Baxter's book Evolution contains a description of the strike, and how it would have been experienced by creatures around the world. It remains among the most horrifying passages I've ever read.
I'm going from memory here, but IIRC one of the things he noted was that there was no way to describe what the impact looked like, because if you weren't over the horizon when it happened, you were instantly vaporized.
(NB: I have a love-hate relationship with that book, but IMHO it's a worthwhile read, and most of it is very good.)
House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. Young Mexican-American girl growing up in Chicago.
I haven't seen it myself, but if you want something coming-of-age from a POC author/characters' perspective, Junot Diaz's The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao would probably be right up your alley.
The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson. It's the most amazing piece of alt-history, based on the premise that Europe was completely wiped out in the Black Death, and how history would proceed to the present without Europe.
This sounds interesting as fuck. Amazon link for those interested and too lazy to google: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1623653339?pc_redir=1409998216&robot_redir=1
Check out Lovecraft Country... https://www.amazon.com/Lovecraft-Country-Novel-Matt-Ruff/dp/0062292064
The Years of Rice and Salt sort of fits what you're looking for. Very lyrically written, but it's more of a revisionist history. Basically, (no spoilers, this is the premise) imagine if Europe were totally decimated by the Black Plague and all major historical events that happened thereafter were led by Asian cultures (including the conquering of North America).
http://www.amazon.com/Look-Whos-Back-Timur-Vermes/dp/1623653339/ref=pd_sim_b_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1H3WMGEBQ2HV4FZP1P13
Is it Evolution by Stephen Baxter?
Amazon
Forever?
https://www.amazon.com/Forever-Novel-Pete-Hamill/dp/0316735698
I believe this is the book that started my journey. There is one out there by Neil Gaiman but I found it lacking detail. https://www.amazon.com/Norse-Myths-Pantheon-Folklore-Library/dp/0394748468
Here is the desktop version of your link
The House on Mango Street
http://www.amazon.com/House-Mango-Street-Sandra-Cisneros/dp/0679734775
Is there any difference in the above book and the book by Kevin titled "The Norse Myths (Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library)?"
It can be found here:
http://www.amazon.com/Norse-Myths-Pantheon-Folklore-Library/dp/0394748468/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375423728&sr=8-1&keywords=norse+mythology
Stephen Baxter imagined such a creature in "Evolution":
http://www.amazon.com/Evolution-Stephen-Baxter/dp/0345457838
Some kind of 100-meter sized pterodactylus.
It might be Forever, by Pete Hamill
>In the aftermath of a slave revolt, Cormac saves the life of an African magician and is granted the power of immortality--provided he never sets foot off Manhattan Island. Not a bad deal, since it allows the ever-observant Cormac to be eyewitness to some of history's greatest spectacles--from the American Revolution to the Draft Riots, from the rise and fall of Tammany Hall to the stock market crash. Oh, and that business of September 11, 2001, too.
Two nonfiction books I have recently read that are beautifully written and on important topics most of us are not generally aware of:
Family Properties: Race, Real Estate, and the Exploitation of Black Urban America
Enough: Why the World's Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty
Fiction:
Confederacy of Dunces
A Fine Balance
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Well, Kim Stanley Robinson's Antarctica (1997) obviously fits the bill -- Amazon link
I'll have to think of some others....
EDIT: another book to consider: James Blish's The Frozen Year (1957). Have not read it yet and I doubt it's that great but it's about Julian Cole, an official historian on an Arctic expedition... And of course some crazy things happen 50s style.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1416562605?keywords=white%20tiger&qid=1458528462&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1
(Read not the book, but reviews of the actual people living in Mumbai who say the truth is harsher than what is on that book)
Cool "what if?" book I've read: The Years of Rice and Salt
Answering "What if the black plague had killed 99% of Europe instead of just 67%?". Asian and Arab cultures sweep in, entire course of history, discovery of Americas, etc. is changed.
Okay, let me break this down for you in very simple terms:
Every single book I have bought on Viking history goes to extensive lengths IN THE FUCKING INTRODUCTION to detail how Women were treated vastly different to modern day societies (even books written in the 1930s acknowledge this) and that they were warriors. Every. Single. Fucking. Book.
But no, you, who have obviously never read into the subject, know better. You want a list of books? I can provide that.
Book one
Book two
Book three
>Hell's Angels podcast, I don't care
And that's your ignorance showing once again. The podcast is fully sourced and it's done by a guy who majored in History. I'm not sure if he has a Bachelors or a Masters, but he has a degree specifically in History, and he fully sources everything for his podcast. It's not at all some "feminist agenda" podcast, it's actually good history.
LINK
I'm fucking done dude. You are ignorant, and instead of learning about it you arrogantly rant about this stuff.
Just built my first computer. Pretty stoked about that - and so far no problems!
And this book has been blowing my mind https://www.amazon.com/Lovecraft-Country-Novel-Matt-Ruff/dp/0062292064/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473315193&sr=8-1&keywords=lovecraft+country
1940s racist America plus Lovecraft mythology? You had me at "1940s racist America plus Lovecraft mythology."