Book Suggestions

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knightmoves
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Re: Book Suggestions

Post by knightmoves »

I had a whole long post typed out, but then blew my window away by mistake. So this is the short version.

For those that like epic high fantasy, Janny Wurts's "Wars of Light and Shadow" series. 10 books are published, beginning with "Curse of the Mistwraith". The final book is in preparation. Definitely a high school age thing - language is complex and ornate (but not pointlessly so: the flowery language has a purpose), the plots are deep, interwoven, and multi-faceted, and the "truth" is only slowly revealed as the series progresses, and that only from a certain viewpoint. And in the roughly 2 feet of bookshelf space it occupies, there's only a handful of scenes I woud rather not read to my grandmother (and those aren't explicit.)

For scifi (well, I suppose it's more of a scifi/fantasy crossover), I like Tad Williams's "Otherland" quartet. Again, given the plot complexity and historical / literary references made in the books, it's probably a high school thing.

I assume people have read the big names, and the classics, so I won't do more than say that if you haven't read people like Asimov, Philip K pigeon, and Anne McCaffrey, then you should.

But I'll give one final recommendation, which is short, entertaining, amusing in a "this is what sounded futuristic in the 1950s" sense, but I think quite relevant today if you ignore the obvious anachronisms: "Gladiator-at-law" by Frederik Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbluth. That one I'd probably recommend to a reasonably mature 7th or 8th grader, as well as to older people. There's nothing explicit in here, but there are brief mentions of topics that might make conservative parents twitch a bit.
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Re: Book Suggestions

Post by knightmoves »

knightmoves wrote: May 7th, 2021, 11:10 am Philip K pigeon
OK, does scioly have a "naughty words" filter? This is the author who wrote "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep", on which the movie "Bladerunner" was based, and several other scifi classics. He shares his surname with a famous English spotted pudding, with a normal nickname for people called "Richard", and with one of many slang terms for - well, I'm sure you all know.
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Re: Book Suggestions

Post by SciolyMaster »

If you're looking for a lengthy read to get invested in, I recommend Campbell Biology by Jane B. Reece et al. The masterful pacing and suspense, as information is gradually revealed, keeps the story intriguing for all 1284 pages. Though the book delves into a variety of deep, complex themes, it's still quite accessible to high-school-age readers. I don't want to spoil the plot, but I can assure you—this book will profoundly change your understanding of life. Highly encourage y'all to check it out.
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Re: Book Suggestions

Post by orion95 »

I recently finished reading "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert T. Kiyosaki, and boy it was a good read. It completely changes the outlook on how we (not super rich people) think about money. The crux of the matter is that poor people work for money, rich people make money work for them. And the only thing that separates the rich and poor are their mindsets.
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Re: Book Suggestions

Post by BennyTheJett »

orion95 wrote: May 16th, 2021, 7:50 am I recently finished reading "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert T. Kiyosaki, and boy it was a good read. It completely changes the outlook on how we (not super rich people) think about money. The crux of the matter is that poor people work for money, rich people make money work for them. And the only thing that separates the rich and poor are their mindsets.
Interesting, but how does it cover the fact that people aren't born into equal situations? If everyone could change their mindset and be rich, why aren't we all rich?
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Re: Book Suggestions

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Obsessive Genius: The Inner World of Marie Curie <3 <3 <3
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Re: Book Suggestions

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Re: Book Suggestions

Post by donjuanpond »

I'm posting here almost exactly a whole year after my previous post on this topic, mostly to see how my reading preferences have changed over that period. I highly recommend all books listed here!
As one can probably expect, quite a few of these books have some (although mostly mild) mature content - nothing really bad but maybe not for below 7th grade readers unless you don't mind that kind of stuff.
  • Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky. This book has an extremely unique and intriguing premise wherein half the story is told from the perspective of almost medieval people whose explanations of most things are limited to magic, and a heavily modified and hyper-advanced anthropologist. The way that these two parts interact in the story is very interesting, as we see the same story play out, partially as fantasy and partially as science fiction.
  • 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson. This book detains an extremely captivating and hyper-detailed view of the far future from one of the most lauded authors in hard science fiction. From its ideas on climate engineering, biotechnology, extraterrestrial colonization, and even economics, this is definitely a must-read.
  • Permanent Record by Edward Snowden. This book might not be lauded by all depending on their political stance regarding the author, but I would recommend it highly to all. With more and more encroachments on basic rights of privacy happening each year, being aware of one of the most significant issues of the information age is extremely important.
  • Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee. This book provides one of the most unique takes on how interstellar warfare might look like, highlighting many different potential types of psychological attacks. This book is also really well written and worded, so there's definetly enough depth for at least a few re-reads.
  • AI 2041 by Kai-Fu Lee and Chen Qiufan. This book provides incredibly interesting and realistic views of the future of AI in the life of everyday people within the near future. Half of this book is a collection of multiple science fiction stories regarding AI by Chen Qiufan, and the other half is nonfiction analysis of the AI technologies presented by Kai-Fu Lee - this explanation adds quite a bit of value to the already engrossing stories told, creating a very interesting reading experience.
  • How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu. Normally, when people talk about books making them cry, they apply the term rather generously to all books that made them feel even a little emotion. However, this book is the only one (other than Gideon the Ninth) that made me expel actual, real, wet tears from my tear glands - as a 15-year-old male living in the US, society has forced me to become an expert at suppressing my emotion, adding to the significance of this event. Large recommend.
  • A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers. This book provides an alternate answer to the question of how work and society in general will look like as AI and robotics become more commonplace, one that is more positive and overall relieving to read as a contrast from the monotony of "robots are going to take over the world or something."
  • A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine. Another stunning space opera, this time a murder mystery with diplomacy! Well written and perpetually entertaining, despite the cringe-inducing title.
  • The Napoleon of Notting Hill by G. K. Chesterton. This book is from the beginning of the 20th century and details a satirical view of the future from the perspective of an old dude in 1904 London. Despite being so old, the messages in this story are still relevant and interesting. Only thing is that this book is written in older English and may be somewhat difficult for those who don't like that style of writing.
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Re: Book Suggestions

Post by D39IJ11 »

One of my favorite book series is The Mysterious Benedict Society. It has a great combination of action, suspense, and a dying mission to save the world. You guys should definitely read it! You can also watch the TV show of it on Disney+
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Re: Book Suggestions

Post by gz839918 »

Oh dang, I read that series just shy of ten years ago, and it looks like it's still making waves for young readers today! For me, though, the first book in the series was awesome, and the second and third just really couldn't compete. I had no idea a show for it got produced, I assume, recently; it's often really cool to see favorite book characters come to life on the screen.
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