I am looking to read something, and not sure it exists. If you can, please reccomend a book that.... Has someone putting together a team for a heist, and has 2 -3 other storylines that tie into the heist story at different points, not that collide. So, for instance, putting together a team to rob a reserve, while a person is worried about her sick child or mom, while there is a drama playing out between employees at the reserve, while...something else. Maybe the person's car gets in an accident with the robbers, or because of them, while they is trying get the sick person to the hospital, but is also a witness to the faces of the robbers. Something where the storylines hit the main story, but not all at the end type of story. If I could draw a picture of the structure, it would look like a tree with no leaves, just a main story as the center mass of the tree and the side stories as the branches intersecting as the story goes on.
The Wheelman has some of what you’re looking for. There are some interesting inter- and intrapersonal conflicts at play. It’s been a good few years since I read it, so I don’t remember exactly how it all ties together, but it might be worth a shot.
Does anyone know of any good sci-fi horror novels out there? It's one of my favourite genres but I've not found much of it. In the vein of Alien (first one) etc. I loved Gravity by Tess Gerritsen if this is a good indication.
Can someone recommend me a good romantic comedy or chick lit sort of book? I like Sophie Kinsella a lot. My problem is any time I pick up a chick lit book, I get bored within the first chapter. It's always: single female who lives a really sad life in search of either a promotion or a boyfriend, usually living with her rich best friend who's of course the beautiful one who also doesn't know it. Maybe there's already a boyfriend on the scene and of course he's the perfect guy, until he isn't, because of course he isn't. And it always starts with the female MC doing something terribly sad, like making a clown of herself or so certain she's got that promotion when she hasn't got it. Another common trait would be lists - lists of things the female MC is utterly neurotic about. Yeah, I have no idea when lists became a good idea in writing, but they're prevalent in chick lits. (I once read one whose entire first chapter was a list of tasks the MC must do to prepare for a birthday party) Seriously, it's not funny. It's lame, and it's predictable to the point of painful. I want something a little silly, something that would be a good laugh, something light, with a dose of romance. But not something stupid, which it seems every single chick lit I ever pick up is. So, hit me
I can only recommend to you what I myself did... Read your favourite stories. Read the authors you want to read. Doing that, now no one can say I've never read Bram Stoker's Dracula last year; no one can say I haven't read Jules Verne after I embarked on that adventure. - I myself have a reading list that consists of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens because I want to read it, even though it's a story I already know, I haven't actually read it, and it's actually reading the greats, is what I recommend; Ever since I read my 1962 edition of George Orwell's 'Ninety Eighty-Four', no one can say I haven't read '1984'. Stick to the greats, accept nothing but! Have a 'if you haven't heard of the story, then it's not worth reading' attitude, not for everything, but do it anyway, and see what you get.
'The Wrong Knickers - A Decade of Chaos' is a very fun read by Bryony Gordon - it's about a woman in her twenties with an idea of what her life should be like...and the very truth of it. It's based on Bryony's real experiences in her twenties and I found it to be really interesting and 'real' the whole way through. Nothing is too cliche - there are very real aspects to the story including mental health, recreational drug use, one night stands etc, so it may sit slightly outside the normal predictable chick lit genre. I also have enjoyed a few books by Paige Toon, although some of them I have started and then found to be a little two predictable or cliche as you've described above, and then abandoned the read. 'Lucy in the Sky' I would recommend as a decent, fun read and also 'Last piece of my heart' was a good holiday read with a bit of a twist. And finally, I would also recommend 'All Grown Up' by Jami Attenberg. Similar to The Wrong Knickers, this includes a few subjects which normally sit outside of chick lit and is about a 39 year old woman. The story has a unique composition, flicking back and forward through different time periods in the protagonist's life to tell the complete story.
I am looking for fictional reads (or even film/TV) on the following subjects, would love to hear your recommendations if you have any for me. - Books with a female contemporary/modern witch protagonist dealing with the struggles of real life as well as some sort of witchy storyline - Books where the Earth is becoming or has become derelict and how this has affected the humanity, perhaps moving to another world (think Wall E). Very interested if the book shows how different people are affected, e.g regular folk vs politicians or people "outside of the matrix" - Books with a concept similar to that in The Matrix - Books about a fictional protagonist who is, or will/has recently become extremely famous very quickly and the implications of this. Thanks all!
I love A Christmas Carol, and actually read it every year around Christmas time. Of course it's old-fashioned, but lively enough. After all, Dickens was a writer who wrote serials in popular publications. He wrote for the people of his time. Consequently, while some of the stuff is out of date, it does offer a window on the time and place where he lived, and is written in an entertaining way. He was no stranger to poverty, as he grew up in a family where his father was in a workhouse for several years. So while it's fiction, it's worthwhile, and you can easily get through it in a single evening. I hope you enjoy it. It's a good one to sit down with on Christmas Eve, actually.
Hey, can anyone recommend me books on screenwriting, particularly books that focus on adapting books into movies? Thank you.
Two books come to mind: https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Story-Becoming-Master-Storyteller-ebook/dp/B0052Z3M8A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1543327834&sr=8-1&keywords=john+truby+the+anatomy+of+story https://www.amazon.com/Story-Structure-Substance-Principles-Screenwriting-ebook/dp/B0042FZVOY/ref=pd_sbs_351_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0042FZVOY&pd_rd_r=36c43867-f24e-11e8-b007-a7b99bbf58ac&pd_rd_w=iytEb&pd_rd_wg=oqW89&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=7d5d9c3c-5e01-44ac-97fd-261afd40b865&pf_rd_r=FXVJBP0NP7T39QGZ6EN3&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=FXVJBP0NP7T39QGZ6EN3
I haven't actually read any (they're on my short list,) but I understand William Gibson novels have a similar feel and some themes in common. The Wachowskis cite him as an influence, of course. He more or less invented cyber punk. In fact, the way I understand it, a lot of Gibson fans saw The Matrix as being extremely derivative, especially of Neuromancer. Gibson did not. He thoroughly enjoyed the film, and said he saw more Philip K. Dick in it than his own work. Speaking of which, I can definitely recommend Philip K. Dick. You won't find epic kung fu battles in a virtual world, but the mind-bending aspect of The Matrix is absolutely PKD territory. I only discovered him last year, and nine novels later, I can say that characters being forced to question reality is a major recurring theme in his work. My favorite so far is A Scanner Darkly, but you should start with Ubik. It has a few specific story elements in common with The Matrix. So do Eye in the Sky, The Man in the High Castle, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch and Flow My Tears, the Police Man Said. That's five of the nine I've read, so I imagine many of his other fifty books do as well. Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk is exactly that. It's also, like most of Palahniuk's work, mildly disturbing and somewhat depressing. I get the idea you're not even supposed to like the main character very much. It's not his best book (Fight Club!) but I enjoyed it. I should mention though, this may not involve the sort of fame you had in mind. He becomes a religious figure, not a rock star. ETA: Shoot. I just noticed how old your post was. Oh well. I'll leave it.
I generally prefer fiction to nonfiction, but I definitely dabble. I've recently read a few Jon Ronson books and loved them. His subjects are so off the wall, but the stories are intimate. I especially enjoy the aspect of the narration unfolding as a journey of not only journalistic but also personal discovery. It's very easy to learn something about yourself along the way as well. Anybody have any recommendations in that vein? I'm so unfamiliar with the genre, I don't even know where to start.
Thank you for your book recommendations everyone! I am now on the hunt for books set in the very near future (generation above or two generations above). I am grateful for all suggestions on this!
A few recently enjoyed books: 'Runner', by Patrick Lee - the first in a series of three 'You', by Caroline Kepnes, and her sequel, 'Hidden Bodies' Stephen King's 'The Institute'. Another story similar to Patrick Lee's, 'Runner'
I'm a massive fan of Baudrillard. His dissection of hyperreality in this work is worth thinking about again and again and he's very thorough here. A good book to mull over. -SIN
Hello. Currently working on my 2020 reading list and wondered if I you'd be so kind as to give me some suggestions based on these: Lud in the mist The Golem Carmilla Boy in Darkness (somehow) A Study in Scarlet The Brothers Karamazov or The Idiot The Sorrows of Young Werther The Bodysnatcher (Stevenson) The Dream of a Ridiculous Man Bathory history The Fall The Body Artist The House on the Borderland Anton Chekov – A Nervous Breakdown Perhaps a little vague, but I suppose there's a psychological/Gothic slant. Thank you.
Have you read The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova? It's about the legend of Dracula, and it's pretty good. If you've already read it, whoops! I'm not sure what else I've read that might be considered psychological/Gothic. I mean, there's Anna Karenina, but I don't know if one would consider that psychological.
I recently got the urge to read fiction and picked up Infinite Jest. It wasn't for me. The overly long explanations reminded me of a lesser version of Stephen King books. King is okay, but I'm drawn to short, punchy, show don't tell style. I'm looking for books that feel like a commentary on life. What are some of your favorites?
How to be Dead By Dave Turner, it is the first in a Horror Comedy Trilogy. It is a fun read. You could try The Books Of Blood series, or The Inhuman Condition by Clive Barker, if you are looking for short stories in the Horror genre. Granted The Hellbound Heart is a great early novel of his that has it's own way of telling a story at 150 pages. I am not sure what else to recommend, considering I tend to favor some of the older longer books in the land of Sci-fi. Though you could check out The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury, cause it is a semi soft Sci-fi that doesn't dive into the innerworkings in great detail, infavor of the surreal setting, and those that inhabit it. I mean honestly who doesn't like the idea of native Martians armed with guns that fire swarms of bee like creatures just because they can, or cook some kind of meat on a strange fluid metal thing in the center of their dining tables. That is what I can think of, and best of luck to you.
Does anyone have any recommendations for books involving imprisonment? First person would be best. I'm having trouble getting into the mindset for this section of my WIP, and I learn well by example. I've read Papillon, but that book tends to skip through the solitary confinement lockup parts. I've actually been locked up briefly myself, not in real jail, mind you, just in holding for a day or two a few times. Still, I'm having trouble expressing what I remember. It's been a long time. A good read or two might get me going.
There have got to be some memoirs of POWs out there, although I don't know any off-hand. I could probably tell you a little bit about it myself right now
If you are love book genres like Romance/Fantasy/Mystery, then I can recommend you read this book: The Other Side of Love by Attilio Guardo
Enjoyable road trip novel? I've always wanted to write a novel about 2 or 3 friends who take a road trip across America. I'm not interested in plot but just the idea of these people stopping off at diners, motels and various towns along the way. The story would be driven by their encountering various characters (hitchhikers, motel / diner guests etc), but there'd be lots of the travelling documented, too, with passages of witty dialogue and observations as they slip along the roads and highways. It would be mainly humourless in tone (although not full-on comedy), but also contain moments of peril and maybe even tragedy (they have to encounter problems, yes?) One of my favourite films, Stranger Than Paradise (see avatar), has many elements of this, so the novel would ideally be like an extension of this. Anyone know of such a novel? I've tried Kerouac's On the Road, but it was a little too 'stream of consciousness', even for me. I've also tried Che's The Motorcycle Diaries but that didn't do it for me either. Oh, and I've read Thomson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which I loved!
