Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with books and reading

The Origin of the Matrix

madmamasmith — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 00:30:53 -0800

Origin of the Matrix relating to a Science Fictional setting... I am reading Neuromancer by William Gibson and the main character mentions "the matrix", as something he "jacks in to". Now this is my first foray into sci-fi and I am only about 20 pages in but I was wondering where the term originated. Did The Matrix movie steal this term and its meaning from Gibson or was it already being used in previous sci-fi works? I have only ever heard it used in a sci-fi context so that's why I;m wondering. I'm admitting my lack of knowledge in this area, so please don't make me feel like a ding dong if the answer to this question is blindingly obvious to you! Also, while on the topic of Sci-fi, the last book I read in the genre was Ender's Game in junior high and I loved it, so please suggest any sci-fi reads I should check out.

The right book for a train ride

timory — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 01:07:43 -0800

What are good books to read on a train? This holiday, for the first time, I'll be taking the train home instead of flying. I'm relishing the thought of being able to read while traveling (airplanes make me queasy), and I'm looking forward to the forced downtime from the internet and other things that distract me from reading even a fraction of what I used to read.

The journey is about 8 hours long, 16 round trip. It seems the perfect amount to read a smaller novel each way, or a longer one I could split half and half on each leg.

Please give me your recommendations. I'm looking for something more literary (not necessarily part of "the canon," but definitely nothing pulpy or best-sellery), and engaging enough to hold my attention for 8 hours straight. I want the perfect thing to read while staring out into snowy Pennsylvania and listening to the tracks chug by. I think the Mountain Goats are the best music to listen to on these long journeys alone, but I want the literary equivalent of that.

Here is a sparse sampling of the kinds of books I'm looking for:
Calvino, If on a Winter's Night a Traveler
Gaarder, The Solitaire Mystery
Updike, Rabbit, Run
Murakami, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

I'm sensing a theme... maybe the theme of journeys, whether fantastical or mundane, seems to fit the mold for me here.

Recommendations for (simpler) novellas in Russian or Spanish are also welcome, because I could very much stand to brush up on those languages. Bonus points for magically guessing and suggesting books I already own but haven't yet read. Thank you!

Good translations of Zhuangzi?

Arturus — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:38:48 -0800

I'm interested in getting a print copy of Zhuangzi to read. What's a good translation or edition?

The perfect novel?

Anonymous — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:28:34 -0800

Help me find that perfect novel for a Christmas present. Sorry to post this anonymously, but someone close to the recipient is one my contacts!

Now, I spent a good part of yesterday perusing book stores, eventually walking away empty handed.

The person receiving this book is a mid-fifties male who is an avid reader of good popular fiction. E.g. really likes Frank McCourt; really dislikes Dan Brown.

I considered Netherland by O'Neill but decided against it because I haven't read it and thought it might be too political. (Is it?) So if you need a gage to go by then it'd be McCourt.

The suggestion needn't be a heavy story, for well-written, humorous, insightful prose works just as well. What I want is a story that will stick with this person for time to come.

Thank you in advance for your suggestions.

Book recommendations for a new Christian!

schmoo — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:37:43 -0800

I'm looking for book recommendations for a young woman who has recently become interested in religion. Ideas please! I would like to buy my younger sister a book as one of her Christmas gifts. She is 19, and about four or five months ago was introduced to religion when she joined some college friends on a trip to Africa to do the normal Christian aid type work. She's since become more and more involved with the church and interested in religion - to the point that she was baptised a couple of weeks ago. The church is the most relaxed I've ever been to - it's in a purpose-built barn/hall, and they have a live band playing covers of modern songs. It's all very youth-orientated and all about friendship, community and fun. (I'm giving this information to try and give an idea of the kind of church/religion she's into. I'm not religious at all so apologies if I sound a little clueless.)

I would like to buy her a book for Christmas with some kind of spiritual/religious/Christian theme, to show her that while I'm not religious (and have probably been quite scathing about religion in the past) I respect her and am pleased that she's found this and that it makes her happy. However, I don't want to get herself anything with too strong a message - as I said she's only starting to be involved in the church, she's young, and I think she'd only be embarrassed by any too overtly religious gift as she knows how unreligious I am.

When I was younger I flicked through one of the Chicken Soup books at a friend's - I seem to remember that these had a vaguely religious theme to them, am I right? Something like this is what I'm looking for.

So - please give me your recommendations!

To sum up- I'm looking for

- nothing too strong in its religious message
- probably fiction, but non-fiction ideas welcome
- something appropriate for a 19 year old girl who loves going out, seeing friends, parties - all the normal teenage stuff!
- something well written, with an inspirational or thoughtful message.

Thanks!

What to read to my ill grandmother

pised — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:55:42 -0800

In search of something to read to my ill grandmother. My 87-year-old grandmother recently broke her hip while in the long-term care facility she lives in (it broke from osteoporosis, not a fall). She's in terrible pain and in failing health, and the last time I went to see her, it broke my heart to watch her in so much pain. She got a shot of painkiller while I was there, but the shot took 20 minutes to relieve the pain and she had nothing to concentrate on while she was waiting for it to work (she doesn't have a television in her room, only a radio, which is background music more than anything). I'll be there this weekend and want to read to her to try to take her mind off the pain, so I'm looking for short, simple books or stories to read to her, something sweet and easy for her to follow.

Her short-term memory is shot from previous strokes, so she won't retain it for very long; probably the shorter the story, the better for any chance that she'll be able to follow the story. I just want her to have a soothing voice or cadence to focus on, rather than me just assuring her every couple of minutes that the meds are going to work soon. Poetry would probably be ok too. Thanks.

What books would an industrial engineer find it to be useful?

Carius — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:59:40 -0800

Books recommendation for an industrial engineer My friend is an industrial engineer who would like to read more "useful" non-fiction books.

I know she really like
The Toyota Way
The Machine That Changed the World

She also like a book about efficiently sorting boxes in a warehouse.

I already exhaustively searched thoroughly through ReadMe for similarly title, but have no luck.

Bonus: She will also be working in China next year.

So oh wise mefi please help her out!
Thank you for any suggestions!

Pulp Filter

roger ackroyd — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:53:39 -0800

Pulp Filter: I'm looking for books (fiction or non) that read like the recent Bond films: dark, thrilling, brutal, and glamorous.

Help me orient my brain for the purpose of reading Sartre?

notquitemaryann — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:20:31 -0800

They shouldn't let people like me attend used book sales, but now that the damage is done: how and where to begin reading Sartre? I've realized lately that I have accumulated a fair amount of Sartre's writings and could probably make up the remainder among the libraries I frequent. But apart from reading The Age of Reason ten years ago, I've never made an attempt to explore his contributions to philosophy (or actually that of any 20th-century philosopher apart from a little Wittgenstein, an anomaly that I haven't approached all that well and am shelving for the moment). This is mostly because I've never felt myself to be in the proper mindset, and while that seems to be changing slowly, I feel unprepared to begin and lost as to how to prepare. Off the internet, I read very little serious contemporary writing, and spend the majority of my reading time in the head of people who died before 1900; 1650 (in Europe, anyway) is less foreign to me than 1950- this applies to art, music, politics, etc. as well, so that my ability to contextualize, which has been extremely important in my reading of other philosophers, is not there. So, I have a bit of work to do before I charge in like a complete idiot. I'm hoping you can tell me:
1) What non-Sartre things ought to be read first, or at the same time, in order to have the right references and to grasp most thoroughly his books in general, or individually?
2) If not chronologically, in what order could he be read for the best understanding? What have you found most personally rewarding?
Any other advice (apart from exhortations to dive in without any preparation) also appreciated. I do plan on looking into the usefully-named How to Read Sartre, but want and need whatever help I can find. Thanks!

Help me find this possibly Young Adult novel.

Skoloxia — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:28:42 -0800

BookFilter: I'm looking for a novel that I read several times in the early '90s; despite having read and enjoyed it several times, I've forgotten the title and author! I have some very fuzzy, and possibly misleading, details:

- It was published in the late '80s-early '90s, give or take a decade.
- The protagonist is a high school girl who falls for a college student.
- She has day of the week underwear.
- She thinks a one night stand is called a nightstand.
- The girl's older sister is named Sarah who has saved a condom in a jar.
- The college guy she falls for is named Moishe/Moshe; he goes to Columbia University and is a misanthropist of sorts.
- The girl and Moishe have a troubled relationship and eventually break up, possibly over a misunderstanding.
- He takes a college age girl to a dance he and the protagonist were supposed to attend together.

I'm pretty sure it's not by Norma Fox Mazer, Norma Klein or even Judy Blume. I've pored through MeFi archives, Google search, Wikipedia's lists of books by genre and year, and even some ALA lists.

Halp! I have a feeling I'll be horrified about having enjoyed it so much in my youth when I finally get my mitts on it again, but the complete blank in my memory has been nagging me for months!

Books please!

Go Banana — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:10:41 -0800

Recommend some great literature in the Steinbeck tradition. I'm looking for some great books in the style of East of Eden. Big, lush narrative fiction spanning generations. I'm meh on Isabel Allende, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, John Irving, Barbara Kingsolver and Lawrence Hill. Big fan of M.M. Kaye, Robertson Davies, Somerset Maugham, and obviously John Steinbeck. My overall taste in books varies widely and I read voraciously. I tend to get bored quickly, however, and need something really gripping to bother finishing a book. I'd prefer generally uplifting to hopelessly tragic. I also enjoy period fiction (gothic, Victorian) and have a secret weakness for trash literature (Valley of the Dolls). Thank you for your recommendations!

How to Prepare for Infinite Jest

blueplasticfish — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:22:25 -0800

How should I prepare to read Infinite Jest? I feel I am ready to tackle Infinite Jest. What is the best way to prepare? Should I just jump in? Read the Wikipedia entry? Read the other books that explain Infinite Jest?

The only DFW I have read are some of his guest articles (NY Times, et. al) and Everything and More (which is non-fictiony).

Time won't fill itself...

zennoshinjou — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 05:54:05 -0800

Fantasy recommendations based on previously enjoyed books. So I enjoy a good fantasy yarn from time to time and would like some recommendations since like all genre fiction there is probably more crap than quality and would rather focus on the good stuff. Here is what I like:
George Martin - A Song of Ice and Fire (the last book was a little eh but otherwise I enjoyed this series quite a bit)
Robin Hobb - I enjoyed all the books the Fool was in (all 9.. great characters, good story)
Main storyline in Dragonlance/Forgotten Realms (including the ridiculous amount of Drizzt books) (admittedly I read this a long time ago so it could just be fond memories)
Wheel of Time - I only liked the first couple and then it all just became a blatant cash grab full of cliches and painful 2 dimensional characters and gender stereotypes.

Basically I like complex, well written stories with compelling characters (don't we all?) that don't start to feel like "hey I'm not sure when this is going to end so I'll drag it out to line my pockets." I would kind of prefer a longer series so long as it has direction but one offs are fine as well.

If it helps, I also really enjoy Neal Stephenson (basically everything hes written) and William Gibson (ditto). Things in this vein would be good also (for example I was effusively enthusiastic about the Baroque Cycle).

As a bonus question, are the ancillary Forgotten Realms/Dragonlance series any good? I never got into them.

Your favorite interesting, specific question in philosophy

k. — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 16:54:11 -0800

Philosophy Filter: What are some fresh and interesting questions or topics in philosophy? I don't know if there are many philosophy nerds on MetaFilter (at least relative to other kinds of nerds), but I thought I'd give this a shot. I'm looking for topics that you wouldn't necessarily learn about in the usual undergraduate philosophy courses. I'd prefer these to be pretty specific, like these examples:

1. The "philosophy of information", which covers both the application of methods and ideas from computer science to philosophy and philosophical issues about what information is (especially in the work of Luciano Floridi)

2. Attacks on virtue ethics based on psychologists' claims that human character traits are much less stable than we think (summarized in e.g. the recent popular book Experiments in Ethics by K. Anthony Appiah)

More like these please! Really, any issue in philosophy that you find interesting would help. Bonus points for relevance to any timely issues outside of philosophy (in politics/society, science, etc).

Libraries are awesome

serazin — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:11:52 -0800

I've taken responsibility for a very small children's library and I'd love your ideas for making it awesome. My kid is going to a tiny little school where every parent takes a volunteer job. I chose the job of managing the small library. I'm supposed to keep it organized and accessible, and to create displays and possibly events. I'm also supposed to coordinate a Scholastic book fair (I'm sure everyone would be open to some alternative to Scholastic - so suggestions welcome on that score as well.)

I don't have a ton of time, and the school doesn't have a ton of money. Given those limitations, I'd love to hear any ideas you have for making the library useful, attractive and vibrant.

(Note that I admire and respect librarians, and recognize that I am not one! I wish all schools had a paid librarian, but this school doesn't - it only has two paid staff people all together - so I hope to do my best with what's available.)

Books that feature great writing AND great storytelling?

shotgunbooty — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 10:06:48 -0800

Books that feature great writing AND great storytelling? Often critically acclaimed books feature great writing but weak storytelling (DeLillo is a fantastic stylist), great storytelling with lackluster prose (Dostoyevsky perhaps), but rarely both sentences to savor and stories to remember (Jane Austen).

Please recommend some books that feature both great sentences and paragraphs AND brilliant storytelling!

These don't have be novels. Short story recommendations are welcomed as is non-fiction.

Fill my brain with mindless stories!

cgg — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:42:19 -0800

7 days poolside... I need books! Tell me what to buy! We're off to an all-inclusive in Cabo next month, and my plan is rest and relaxation. I'm going all-out tourist and am planning to spend my days tipsy and by the pool, reading and lounging about. Trouble is, I need books!

When I read, I read for mindless escapism -- I don't want to have to think. Funny is good, but not necessary. Previous authors I've enjoyed and exhausted include everything from Janet Evanovich, Marian Keyes, Iris Johansen, Carl Hiaasen, and even John Grisham, for what it is (or isn't) worth. The geek in me is currently working through Douglas Coupland's books, but I'm finding them hit-and-miss (loved JPod and Microserfs, the rest I'm kinda meh about so far). I also like biographies of funny people/comedians, although I've probably read most of who I'd be interested in.

I'm guess I'm usually drawn to the lighter mystery or drama type books, or even a legal thriller. I *do not* like fantasy or sci-fi; I prefer things that are at least vaguely plausible in my mind. I'm definitely not a girly-girl, so I'm not sure about the whole shopoholic series, but I might give it a go for lack of better options. Like I said -- I don't plan on thinking all that much :)

So, awesome people of the metafilter universe, what else should I add to my reading library? Bonus points if it's readily available in paperback at Chapters (the Canadian equivalent of a Barnes&Noble).

I liked the Historian and Club Dumas...now what?

snap_dragon — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 12:49:03 -0800

Need some book recommendations. Just finished reading Bram Stoker's Dracula...and am getting through the Historian. In the past I have enjoyed The List of Seven, Club Dumas, The Alienist, Name of the Rose and so forth. So I guess I like the mystery-within-history sort of suspense/horror/thriller. The things I didn't get into were Dan Brown, Ian Pears, and anything having to do with Templars or Mary Magdalene. Can you recommend me your favorites? -- Thanks so much.

Looking for light sociological holiday reading material

FuckingAwesome — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 03:55:46 -0800

Looking for light, sociological holiday reading material... I am a second year Sociology degree student, currently on summer break. I'd like to read something relatively easy-going over summer with some level of relevance to my course. It doesn't have to be totally dumbed-down, just not extremely challenging! Any suggestions would be highly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

nomming with my eyes

kidsleepy — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 11:26:51 -0800

For such a picky eater, I sure like to read a lot about food. What good food books can you recommend? I've recently been on a food book kick. Books I've read and enjoyed are The Man Who Ate Everything, Julie & Julia, My Life in France, and Cooking for Mr. Latte. First person, humorous accounts rich in descriptive detail. I also enjoy it when there's a few recipes throw in. Bonus points for authors learning to cook or trying new foods.

What else would I enjoy? Whet my reading appetite!

Suggestions needed for great narrative nonfiction reading!

bookmammal — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 06:19:22 -0800

Please recommend your favorite "behind the scenes" nonfiction books! I love reading nonfiction "behind the scenes/a year in the life" type books that emphasize the human side of particular jobs or environments. Books that I have especially enjoyed include Courtroom 302 (a year behind the scenes in a Chicago criminal courthouse), And Still We Rise (Los Angeles inner-city high school), and The Gatekeepers (Ivy League admissions office). Any other suggestions? Bonus points if the book is about education or other helping professions, but any recommendations will be appreciated!

Did Richard Feynman have a brother?

SamuelBowman — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:09:42 -0800

I'd like to learn about biology. Can you recommend some books to get me started? I've only done secondary school (ie, high school) biology and my background is in history, so I'm fairly ignorant of the subject, but I've always been interested in it.

What I'm looking for are recommendations for books that will introduce me to the topic – my specific interests are in zoology and evolution, so advice there would be great, but I'd like a primer on the whole field as well.

I really enjoyed The Selfish Gene, but more because of its discussions of animal behaviour than genetics, so that might show you what I'm looking for. It would also help if the book(s) are enjoyable to read – a textbook might have some great information in it but be horrible to read. What I want is to be able to think like a biologist, understand what it is that's going on in the field today, and learn about the how (and why) living things work.

Oh ye Gods, tell me your stories.

fantine — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 08:47:13 -0800

What are the best books on mythology (all kinds)? I recently read American Gods by Neil Gaiman, which I adored for its wide variety of mythological characters. While I have a good grasp of Greek and Roman gods (and a bit about the Norse gods as well), I feel like my education is lacking in the areas of Celtic gods, Hindu gods, and all other kinds of deities.

I'd love to read some non-fiction accounts OR re-tellings of myths from any culture. I found the thread on Greek/Roman books for children, but I am more interested in other mythologies.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Short stories like this are the only stories here.

zoomorphic — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:42:08 -0800

I demand to know your favorite short story anthologies. I recently realized that my brain isn't cut out to read novels on the subway, so I've made a left turn to short stories. Single author collections of short stories are great, but I'm looking for anthologies that include various authors to keep things lively. I love the Best American Non-Required Reading series, as well as My Mistress' Sparrow Is Dead. I've also got Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules on my list.

My favorite short story authors are Lorrie Moore, Amy Bloom, Chekov and Flannery O'Connor, but I'm looking to expand.

What else should I pick up?

Great American Novels

Busoni — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 13:06:00 -0800

People talk about "writing the Great American Novel." What do you think are valid examples of the G.A.N.? What novels, American or otherwise, did you enjoy reading and wish you had written?