Book Suggestions? - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

flamesfan1297 · 02-20-2018, 08:50 PM

Hey guys, I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions for a good book? I'd be buying it as an audio book most likely, as I run equipment for a living and want someone to listen too while working.

I'm open to whatever Genres, podcast suggestions also welcome!

surferguy · 02-20-2018, 08:53 PM

Dan Carlins Hardcore History - Blue print for Armeggedon Series. It's a podcast for free detailing everything about WWI. It's fantastic .

It's about 24hrs long

CMPunk · 02-20-2018, 08:53 PM

Why not podcasts?

CliffFletcher · 02-20-2018, 09:12 PM

I can second the Hardcore History podcast if you're into history.

For fiction, it's hard to made a recommendation without any idea of what you like. But I'll reach back to my days as a book store clerk for my go-to recommendation whenever anyone asked for a 'good read':

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

It's a novel about the construction of a medieval cathedral, rich with heroes, villains, betrayals, etc. It's not great literature by any stretch of the imagination, but it's a cracking good story.

Sliver · 02-20-2018, 09:28 PM

Some of my favourite books off the top of my head (in no particular order):

Animal Farm (Awesome book, not too long.)

The Great Gatsby (One of the only books I've read multiple times. It's so good and really short. Super good one if you're just diving into reading again after a while off.)

1984 (You hear everyone talk about this, especially now with Trump's America, but the comparisons to what is happening now are apt and it's a must read. I only read it for the first time a few years ago and was shocked at how fataing dark it was.)

11/22/63 (Cool book with some time travel if you like that sort of thing. Stephen King so some cool darkness, too.)

Ender's Game (Great sci-fi and if you like it there are a few in the series that are good.)

Seveneves (Super long but pretty epic sci-fi. I think Spielberg is making this into a movie so could be neat to get familiar with it now. If you haven't read in a while I'd go with one of the other suggestions, though, as this one is so long that it could be a bit much. You really have to settle into it. )

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August (This popped up as a recommendation on my Kobo and I just grabbed it and ended up loving it. Basically a dude lives his life over and over like groundhog day, but the stakes are higher.)

Watership Down (It's about rabbits, but damn is it good. It may be a kids book, but it's really good.)

The Martian (fun read; better if you haven't seen the movie. If you've seen the movie don't bother.)

Flowers for Algernon (wicked short story you can read before bed in one sitting. I think it's free online as a pdf. Your eyes will water by the end, I guarantee it.)

Just started reading "Ready Player 1" last night and so far so good. Has anyone read that?

Final thought - if you get into a book for an hour or so and it just isn't grabbing you, put it down and move on. There are so many good books, there just isn't much point in struggling through one that isn't fun.

ma-skis.com · 02-20-2018, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sliver

Final thought - if you get into a book for an hour or so and it just isn't grabbing you, put it down and move on. There are so many good books, there just isn't much point in struggling through one that isn't fun.

completely agree on this, the feeling of having to complete a book someone doesn't like is probably the number one factor most people don't enjoy reading.

Other suggestions

Douglas Adams - The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy: This started as a radio play, so it might translate really well into an audio book.

Bill Bryson - A Short History of Nearly Everything

Neil Tyson Degrasse - Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

The library loans out e-books and audiobooks as well, so you can probably grab a couple and listen to whatever until something captivates you.

Fozzie_DeBear · 02-20-2018, 09:57 PM

Dune by Frank Herbert

And +1 for Hardcore History

troutman · 02-20-2018, 10:02 PM

good advice here:

https://forum.calgarypuck.com/showth...=reading+books

troutman · 02-20-2018, 10:12 PM

Sliver, we did a book club for Ready Player One:

https://forum.calgarypuck.com/showth...dy+player+tomb

JohnnyB · 02-21-2018, 02:42 AM

I listen to a lot of audio books on my commute. Having a good performance makes a big difference. Some books with great content have ended up being ones I really zone out on because it's not well read/performed or the voice just bugs me. Anyways, these are my favourites from the last year on Audible in no particular order:

The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt
Armada: A Novel by Ernest Cline
Homo Deus by Yuval Harari
I Can't Make this Up by Kevin Hart
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance

metallicat · 02-21-2018, 08:25 AM

I wish I could say I enjoyed audiobooks, but I find I don't like them as much as physical books.

Some of my recent reads that have been good:

Artemis by Andy Weir (author of The Martian)
The Force by Dan Winslow
The Snowman by Jo Nesbo
IT by Stephen King
The Given Day by Dennis Lehane

Sliver · 02-21-2018, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by metallicat

I wish I could say I enjoyed audiobooks, but I find I don't like them as much as physical books.

Some of my recent reads that have been good:

Artemis by Andy Weir (author of The Martian)
The Force by Dan Winslow
The Snowman by Jo Nesbo
IT by Stephen King
The Given Day by Dennis Lehane

I just finished Artemis, too, after you mentioned Andy Weir wrote it. What did you think? I thought it was okay and it was a quick read, but not nearly as good as The Martian.

indes · 02-21-2018, 10:07 AM

If you're looking for action/thriller books

Mitch Rapp series by Vince Flynn
John Puller series by David Baldacci
Scot Harvat series by Brad Thor
Amos Decker series by David Baldacci

Mitch Rapp has been my favorite series so far, the movie as per usual didn't do the books justice.

OutOfTheCube · 02-21-2018, 11:17 AM

I've been reading 'The Expanse' and it's a great, exciting science fiction story with awesome world building, lots of violence and action, and great characters. The first book is called 'Leviathan Wakes'.

metallicat · 02-21-2018, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sliver

I just finished Artemis, too, after you mentioned Andy Weir wrote it. What did you think? I thought it was okay and it was a quick read, but not nearly as good as The Martian.

Agreed. It was decent, but the Martian was fantastic. Sometimes a good quick, easy read like Artemis is exactly what I need when I'm struggling with more difficult reads. I did find myself cheering for the lead character.

DoubleF · 02-21-2018, 12:46 PM

Are you looking into audible by any chance? I've been recommended it a few times. 2 free books on sign up, one "free" book per month @ $15 monthly fee and you also get a discount on books.

troutman · 02-21-2018, 02:38 PM

On a SciFi binge now - books from 2017:

Borne by Jeff VanderMeer (feels much like Atwood's "Oryx and Crake")
https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/17/1...on-book-review

"an impressive, post-apocalyptic tale about a young woman and a bizarre, intelligent blob that she discovers while scavenging. Oh, and there’s a giant, flying bear that terrorizes the city’s inhabitants"

The Moon And The Other - John Kessel
https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/3/15...fi-book-review

"a complex, but relevant story about politics, gender identity, and social conflict through a series of characters living on Earth’s inhabited Moon"

The Stars Are Legion - Kameron Hurley
https://www.theverge.com/2017/2/8/14...on-book-review

"a strange, brilliant story set in the depths of space on a group of planet-ships populated exclusively by women"

Can anyone recommend Broken Earth series by N. K. Jemisin?

In 2016, Jemisin's novel The Fifth Season won the Hugo Award for Best Novel, making her the first black writer to win a Hugo award in that category

N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy is a triumphant achievement in fantasy literature

https://www.theverge.com/2017/8/17/1...sy-book-review

calumniate · 02-21-2018, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by troutman

On a SciFi binge now - books from 2017:

Borne by Jeff VanderMeer (feels much like Atwood's "Oryx and Crake")
https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/17/1...on-book-review

"an impressive, post-apocalyptic tale about a young woman and a bizarre, intelligent blob that she discovers while scavenging. Oh, and there’s a giant, flying bear that terrorizes the city’s inhabitants"

The Moon And The Other - John Kessel
https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/3/15...fi-book-review

"a complex, but relevant story about politics, gender identity, and social conflict through a series of characters living on Earth’s inhabited Moon"

The Stars Are Legion - Kameron Hurley
https://www.theverge.com/2017/2/8/14...on-book-review

"a strange, brilliant story set in the depths of space on a group of planet-ships populated exclusively by women"

Can anyone recommend Broken Earth series by N. K. Jemisin?

In 2016, Jemisin's novel The Fifth Season won the Hugo Award for Best Novel, making her the first black writer to win a Hugo award in that category

N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy is a triumphant achievement in fantasy literature

https://www.theverge.com/2017/8/17/1...sy-book-review

Have you read the three body problem troutman?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Th...Problem_(novel)

troutman · 02-21-2018, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by calumniate

Have you read the three body problem troutman?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Th...Problem_(novel)

Read the first two novels. Liked #1 a lot, but #2 not as much, and #3 doesn't look interesting to me.

driveway · 02-21-2018, 03:30 PM

If you're looking for good SciFi I thought The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet and its sequel/spin-off A Close and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers were both tremendous. I found them to be genuinely different than the vast majority of SciFi I've ever read, particularly thematically.