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Books for a summer beach trip

Old 06-06-07, 06:38 AM
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Books for a summer beach trip

We're heading to the beach for a week soon. I'd like to totally unwind, drink a few beers, and read some great books. Now -- here's what I mean by "great books": books that you read that are incredibly well-written, that grab your attention from the get-go, that you can't put down, but that aren't necessarily on the New York Times bestseller list. (Although if a book is popular, that doesn't preclude it from the list.)

I want the kind of book that you loved, that you obsessed about, that you passed on to your friends, that you still occasionally bring up in random conversation. They don't have to be literary classics, they don't have to be fiction or nonfiction, they just have to be spectacular. I don't want a "genre" book (sci-fi, western, murder mystery, etc.), unless they're being in that genre is only a very slight reason to recommend the book in the first place. (Examples: I'm not a huge sci-fi nerd, but I loved the Hyperion saga. I only occasionally read fantasy, but loved the Narnia chronicles as a boy. Etc.)

Best example I can give you: one of my all-time favorite authors is Pat Conroy. I read Beach Music at least five times, and if somebody were to ask me for a recommendation like this, I'd pull out one of my two or three copies of that book and say, here. You have to read this.

So what would you recommend? And please explain or defend your answer, so I can see just what is so great about this book.
Old 06-06-07, 02:17 PM
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Wow, they weren't kidding about Book Talk, were they?
Old 06-06-07, 02:22 PM
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NC, I'll help you out, but I post here less than people already have in this thread so far.

I read Interview with the Vampire in about 72 hours one summer. This was before the movie came out.
Old 06-06-07, 05:32 PM
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Originally Posted by NCMojo
I don't want a "genre" book (sci-fi, western, murder mystery, etc.), unless they're being in that genre is only a very slight reason to recommend the book in the first place. (Examples: I'm not a huge sci-fi nerd, but I loved the Hyperion saga. I only occasionally read fantasy, but loved the Narnia chronicles as a boy. Etc.)
Well, I mainly read "genre" books ... but the ones I love are because I think they're great books - not because I'm a lemming who automatically likes anything in a certain genre. So I'm not sure how much my list will appeal to you. Some of these I'd consider "classics". Others are just immensely fun to read. Others aren't really "fun", but are books I'll never forget.

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski - 2000: Highly experimental and not for everyone (in fact, the opening page of the book just warns "This is not for you"). But it completely sucked me in, and I found alternatively chilling, sad, funny, frustrating, thought-provoking - it's a book I won't forget.

Boy's Life by Robert R. McCammon - 1991: McCammon was a force in the 80's with his immensively fun, ultra-cheesy epic action/horror/thrillers (the best of which was "Swan Song"). But with this book, he took a quantum-leap in writing skill and crafted a wonderful magical coming-of-age story, comparable to the masterworks of Bradbury (like "Dandelion Wine" and "Something Wicked This Way Comes").

Flicker by Theodore Roszak - 1991: A great, somewhat forgotten, book perfect for movie lovers. A film scholar delves into the movies of a forgotten 30's director, and uncovers much more than he was planning on.

Ghost Story by Peter Straub - 1979: One of my favorite horror novels. Straub takes a classic literary approach, distinguishing himself from King and all the imitators, and creates a wonderfully atmospheric and complex classic horror story. Pay no mind to the mediocre film version (which drastically simplified the book).

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - 1985: A must-read book even for those that don't like sci-fi stories. A modern classic that you'll want to read before the movie version.

Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut - 1969: Another must-read book that transcends the sci-fi genre.

Perdido Street Station by China Mieville - 2000: I love books like these ... epic, world-building, multi-layered, extremely well-written, imaginative. A mix of genres (horror, sci-fi, fantasy, drama, suspense, action) that just sucked me in, once I got a handle of the "world".

The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum - 1989: One of the most disturbing and powerful books I've ever read - not for all tastes or moods, but if you're game it's a book that leaves few people unshaken.

The Essential Ellison by Harlan Ellison: Despite being one of the most acclaimed short-story writers of the last 50 years, I'm surprised that so few people even know his name. Perhaps my all-time favorite writer. If you haven't read him, I can think of few ways to spend $20 better than this giant (one of his few books still in print). There's a little something for everyone in this: biting satire, social commentary, experimentalism, fantasy, autobiography, teleplays, horror, sci-fi (though don't say that to Harlan's face). Ellison is so much more than "the guy that wrote that time travel Star Trek episode".

That's enough for now. I know ... those are ALL genre books. But that's what I read, so that's what you'll get from me.
Old 06-06-07, 09:59 PM
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"Dune" for the beach, definitely.

It's all about sand...
Old 06-06-07, 10:51 PM
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Try Things Will Never Be the Same: A Howard Waldrop Reader: Selected Short Fiction 1980-2005. Waldrop is a brilliant short story writer, but his books are rarely in print. His work has been widely published in science fiction magazines, but his sources are history, pop culture, rock 'n' roll, and the South.

I'm thinking primarily here of two stories you might like: the widely anthologized The Ugly Chickens, about an ornithologist chasing down the history of the last dodos (dodoes?), and Do Ya, Do Ya Wanna Dance, which is about the twentieth reuinion of the Class of 1969, what became of their generation, and how Waldrop saw Reagan's America of the late 80's. I read Do Ya, Do Ya Wanna Dance in an anthology about 15 years ago and this is the first chance I've had to read a substantial amount of his work. It's not a disappointment.
Old 06-07-07, 12:12 PM
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Dune and Ender's Game would be my recommendation
Old 06-07-07, 01:19 PM
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Originally Posted by Vandelay_Inds
How about some real literature Mojo? Like Cervantes, Mann, Goethe, Dostoevsky, Hugo, etc...

Or since you like politics, how about some good book on social science?
Not for the beach, though. Last thing I want to do when I'm kicking back in the sun is think...
Old 06-07-07, 01:20 PM
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Originally Posted by DVD Josh
NC, I'll help you out, but I post here less than people already have in this thread so far.

I read Interview with the Vampire in about 72 hours one summer. This was before the movie came out.
Read it -- enjoyed it -- also read Lestat and Queen of the Damned -- especially liked that last one. But I can't get into anything else she's written.

Old 06-07-07, 01:24 PM
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Originally Posted by brainee
Well, I mainly read "genre" books ... but the ones I love are because I think they're great books - not because I'm a lemming who automatically likes anything in a certain genre. So I'm not sure how much my list will appeal to you. Some of these I'd consider "classics". Others are just immensely fun to read. Others aren't really "fun", but are books I'll never forget.

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski - 2000: Highly experimental and not for everyone (in fact, the opening page of the book just warns "This is not for you"). But it completely sucked me in, and I found alternatively chilling, sad, funny, frustrating, thought-provoking - it's a book I won't forget.

Boy's Life by Robert R. McCammon - 1991: McCammon was a force in the 80's with his immensively fun, ultra-cheesy epic action/horror/thrillers (the best of which was "Swan Song"). But with this book, he took a quantum-leap in writing skill and crafted a wonderful magical coming-of-age story, comparable to the masterworks of Bradbury (like "Dandelion Wine" and "Something Wicked This Way Comes").

Flicker by Theodore Roszak - 1991: A great, somewhat forgotten, book perfect for movie lovers. A film scholar delves into the movies of a forgotten 30's director, and uncovers much more than he was planning on.

Ghost Story by Peter Straub - 1979: One of my favorite horror novels. Straub takes a classic literary approach, distinguishing himself from King and all the imitators, and creates a wonderfully atmospheric and complex classic horror story. Pay no mind to the mediocre film version (which drastically simplified the book).

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - 1985: A must-read book even for those that don't like sci-fi stories. A modern classic that you'll want to read before the movie version.

Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut - 1969: Another must-read book that transcends the sci-fi genre.

Perdido Street Station by China Mieville - 2000: I love books like these ... epic, world-building, multi-layered, extremely well-written, imaginative. A mix of genres (horror, sci-fi, fantasy, drama, suspense, action) that just sucked me in, once I got a handle of the "world".

The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum - 1989: One of the most disturbing and powerful books I've ever read - not for all tastes or moods, but if you're game it's a book that leaves few people unshaken.

The Essential Ellison by Harlan Ellison: Despite being one of the most acclaimed short-story writers of the last 50 years, I'm surprised that so few people even know his name. Perhaps my all-time favorite writer. If you haven't read him, I can think of few ways to spend $20 better than this giant (one of his few books still in print). There's a little something for everyone in this: biting satire, social commentary, experimentalism, fantasy, autobiography, teleplays, horror, sci-fi (though don't say that to Harlan's face). Ellison is so much more than "the guy that wrote that time travel Star Trek episode".

That's enough for now. I know ... those are ALL genre books. But that's what I read, so that's what you'll get from me.
This is exactly what I'm looking for. I don't care if it's a genre book -- my point was that I didn't want to read something just because it's in a given genre. I want something that transcends the genre.

Your descriptions are sucking me in -- now I want to go out and get all of these books and read them. (I did read and enjoy Ender's Game, although I thought Speaker for the Dead was better. And Lost Boys by Scott Card remains one of my twenty favorite books ever.)
Old 06-07-07, 01:25 PM
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Originally Posted by Cathepsin
Try Things Will Never Be the Same: A Howard Waldrop Reader: Selected Short Fiction 1980-2005. Waldrop is a brilliant short story writer, but his books are rarely in print. His work has been widely published in science fiction magazines, but his sources are history, pop culture, rock 'n' roll, and the South.

I'm thinking primarily here of two stories you might like: the widely anthologized The Ugly Chickens, about an ornithologist chasing down the history of the last dodos (dodoes?), and Do Ya, Do Ya Wanna Dance, which is about the twentieth reuinion of the Class of 1969, what became of their generation, and how Waldrop saw Reagan's America of the late 80's. I read Do Ya, Do Ya Wanna Dance in an anthology about 15 years ago and this is the first chance I've had to read a substantial amount of his work. It's not a disappointment.
Hmm, also intriguing. I may need to drop by a used bookstore on the way home...


... actually, maybe I should take an extra week of vacation...
Old 06-07-07, 03:24 PM
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Another book that was actually brought to my attention on this board that I really enjoyed was Carlos Ruiz Zafon's "The Shadow of the Wind" (2001). It's a hard book to categorize, mixing melodrama, mystery, gothic, romance, thriller, historical period-piece, with a touch of fantasy. It's really a book for book lovers, that starts with a boy being introduced to the "Cemetery of Forgetten Books" by his father. He choses a book called "The Shadow of the Wind" and loves it, but gets drawn into a mystery trying to find out more about the author (he never published anything else) and a mysterious man who seems to have made his life's mission to destroy all copies of the book at whatever cost. Another book that really sucked me in, and I probably wouldn't have read it if not recommended. It's literary enough to be taken seriously, just light enough to make it very fun reading.
Old 06-07-07, 03:55 PM
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Originally Posted by Vandelay_Inds
Come on. To think is the greatest pleasure there is. At least give Don Quijote de la Mancha a try. One page from that book provides more enjoyment than all the crap suggested in this thread put together.
Oh, I've read Cervantes' Don Quixote, as well as some Victor Hugo and Dostoevsky. (I haven't cracked into Crime and Punishment, and I did think about it for this trip... but I only have a week.) Tried reading Goethe, and was not impressed -- might just be the German style of literature.

Mann? I assume you mean Thomas Mann? Seems an odd name to toss in with some of those heavyweights...

Old 06-07-07, 03:57 PM
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Originally Posted by brainee
Another book that was actually brought to my attention on this board that I really enjoyed was Carlos Ruiz Zafon's "The Shadow of the Wind" (2001). It's a hard book to categorize, mixing melodrama, mystery, gothic, romance, thriller, historical period-piece, with a touch of fantasy. It's really a book for book lovers, that starts with a boy being introduced to the "Cemetery of Forgetten Books" by his father. He choses a book called "The Shadow of the Wind" and loves it, but gets drawn into a mystery trying to find out more about the author (he never published anything else) and a mysterious man who seems to have made his life's mission to destroy all copies of the book at whatever cost. Another book that really sucked me in, and I probably wouldn't have read it if not recommended. It's literary enough to be taken seriously, just light enough to make it very fun reading.
Aaargh, you have to stop this! I can't hear a description like that without wanting to run out and get the damn_book.



Thanks for the recommendations. I will definitely see which of these I can get my hands on.
Old 06-15-07, 01:22 PM
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This would not be a book talk thread without recommending A GAME OF THRONES by George RR MArtin

(I know, im obsessed with A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE)

Sitting on a steaming hot beach reading about a land locked in endless winters could be interesting...and hey! by the time you finish book 4, 5 might be out!

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