Recommendations

[Megan 0]

I hope this is the correct place to put this, I'm not sure where else it would go.

I am always looking for something to read. The problem is that I can't always find something good to read. I know of course that there is a ton of great literature out there, but my problem is finding and recognizing which books are the ones that are worth while to read. So I have called for assistance from all of the lovely Forum members who would be willing to come to my aid. For convenience I will include a list of some of my favorite books. Please suggest anything you can, I'll appreciate it greatly

War and Peace, most Ayn Rand (there are some books I haven't been able to get a hold of),1984, Animal Farm, and Les Miserables

These are a few of the books that I have read recently and particularly liked, please inform me of any suggestions that you have.

Thanks

[stellavision 0]

I'd suggest taking a look at the "You Rate It" section of the forum for some good ideas.

Some books I've loved include The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone (a marvelous portrayal of an artist who is thoroughly dedicated to his work), Noble Vision by Gen LaGreca (Ayn Rand's philosophy dramatized as it applies to medicine, with a well-conceived love story woven in), Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott (dramatic value conflicts and larger-than-life characters), The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins (a deeply suspenseful mystery), and The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (a great story with great characters).

[PhilO 0]

These are a few of the books that I have read recently and particularly liked, please inform me of any suggestions that you have.

I recommend the genre of science fiction, and focusing primarily on material written between 1930 and 1960. Some authors to try are Robert Heinlein (#1), Isaac Asimov, Fred Pohl, George O. Smith, Ray Bradbury, though that's only the tip of the iceberg. There's good SF after 1960 but it rapidly goes into fantasy/swords'n'scorcery, very little of which I personally enjoy. The early James P. Hogan is excellent (1980s+ as I recall).

[B. Royce 0]

I hope this is the correct place to put this, I'm not sure where else it would go.

I am always looking for something to read. The problem is that I can't always find something good to read. I know of course that there is a ton of great literature out there, but my problem is finding and recognizing which books are the ones that are worth while to read. So I have called for assistance from all of the lovely Forum members who would be willing to come to my aid. For convenience I will include a list of some of my favorite books. Please suggest anything you can, I'll appreciate it greatly

War and Peace, most Ayn Rand (there are some books I haven't been able to get a hold of),1984, Animal Farm, and Les Miserables

These are a few of the books that I have read recently and particularly liked, please inform me of any suggestions that you have.

Thanks

Anything by Hugo, The Toilers Of The Sea, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, Ninety-Three, Han Of Iceland; Dumas' The Count Of Monte Christo, The Three Musketeers; Rostand's play, Cyrano de Bergerac; Sabatini's novel Scaramouche. That's good for starters.

[Ed from OC 0]

Look through The Romantic Manifesto and the various Objectivist periodicals for their recommendations. Peikoff's Eight Great Plays has good choices, too. I think Andrew Bernstein had a whole lecture on rare gems of literature. So there are lots of resources available.

I have the opposite problem: I wish I had the time to read all the novels and plays out there. Now, I doubt that all of the ones that interest me would be of interest to all other Objectivists, but so be it.

Plays, too, are worth a look. Check out Schiller, Shakespeare, Corneille, Ibsen.

[Burgess Laughlin 0]

The problem is that I can't always find something good to read. I know of course that there is a ton of great literature out there, but my problem is finding and recognizing which books are the ones that are worth while to read.

For you, what makes a work of fiction worthwhile?

War and Peace, most Ayn Rand (there are some books I haven't been able to get a hold of),1984, Animal Farm, and Les Miserables

What qualities make these novels worthwhile to you?

Are you interested only in serious fiction? What popular fiction, if any, have you found worthwhile?

You can obtain all of Ayn Rand's fiction from The Ayn Rand Bookstore.

[Megan 0]

For you, what makes a work of fiction worthwhile?

What qualities make these novels worthwhile to you?

Are you interested only in serious fiction? What popular fiction, if any, have you found worthwhile?

You can obtain all of Ayn Rand's fiction from The Ayn Rand Bookstore.

I'm not interested exclusively in serious fiction, but it is my favorite. I love literature with political based themes, meaning the contents and theme are involved with some sort of political philosophy (such as AS). I consider a book worthwhile if I can get something out of it. By this, I mean that the book has a theme and/or contents that I can learn something from. For an example, I'll use Ayn Rand's novels. Out of her novels, I was able to name the way of life I had always lived but never knew that it was its own philosophy. That's not really the best example I suppose, but it will work.

Thanks again to everyone who has, and will reply.

[GMartin 0]

My favorite type of novel is one that I can't put down. When I find one, it is a rare treat. It takes over my life for a few days or weeks. Everything by Hugo and Rand go into this category for me.

Look through The Romantic Manifesto and the various Objectivist periodicals for their recommendations.

I agree with Ed's suggestion on this. I went though all of the Objectivist and Objectivist Newsletter book reviews and made a great list of books to look for.

Another of my favorite novels (mentioned in RM), is Quo Vadis. Fortunately, I read the book before seeing the movie. The movie was not bad, but skims over much that was important in the book, especially the characterization of Plutonius.

I like most of Louie L'amour's short stories and his novel, Last of the Breed, which has a late 20th Century setting, is my favorite by him.

If you like political novels, you might like Advice and Consent, by Allen Drury. The movie version was very good on this one.

Another good political novel is Seven Days in May by Fletcher Knebel. It is a real thriller. It was also made into a fine movie. Knebel wrote several other very good political thrillers.

gmartin

[realitycheck44 0]

Okay, bumping this thread. I need something to read. Popular fiction is fine, as long as there's a hero and/or heroine with whom I can identify or fall in love (respectively). I've read everything by Rand, and I'm tired of Hugo and Dostoevsky (for the moment). I've picked out and read almost everything recommended by Miss Rand in Ayn Rand Answers and The Romantic Manifesto, including Quo Vadis, The Scarlet Letter, and Calumet K. I've also read the Sparrowhawk series by Ed Cline and Nobel Vision, as well as the good stuff by Jane Austen and Dumas. I haven't read any of Robert Heinlein, but sci fi isn't really my thing (I'll give it a shot though, so what should I start with?)

Some other favorites/recommendations:

-Gabrielle Allon series by Daniel Silva. (Starting with The Kill Artist.) If you're into spy fiction at all (even if you aren't), it's excellent. About an Israeli spy, and makes no apologies for Islamic terrorism. Heroic, well-written, and among the most realistic spy fiction I've read. Can't recommend highly enough.

-Short stories by Louis L'Amour. Similar to O.Henry (in my opinion), though a little more contrived. Most of them are like Ayn Rand's short story "Good Copy." Always a hero, the girl is always pretty, and the universe is never malevolent. Comfort food.

-Ender's Game. Yeah, it's a little malevolent, but it reminds me of what it takes to be at the top.

Whatcha got for me?

[Betsy Speicher 0]

Try anything by Nevil Shute but save the best for last -- "Trustee From the Toolroom."

[realitycheck44 0]

Will do, Betsy. Thanks!! Anybody else before I make a trip to Half Price Books?

PS: I made Gabriel Allon into a girl in the above post. Oops!

[ruveyn ben yosef 0]

Try anything by Nevil Shute but save the best for last -- "Trustee From the Toolroom."

May I recommend "Slide Rule" by Nevil Shite. It has to do with the collateral construction of the British dirigibles R101 and R100. (Non-fiction, this is a fact based account) One was a socialist dirigible and the other a private enterprise dirigible. Guess which one flew successfully and which one crashed on its maiden flight.

Please see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slide_Rule:_Autobiography_of_an_Engineer

and also: http://www.amazon.com/Slide-Rule-Nevil-Shute/dp/1842322915/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342715772&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=Slide+Rule%2C+Neile+Shute

ruveyn

[BrianB 0]

What's better than finding a good novel to read? Finding a series of novels all of which you really enjoy. If you have not yet come across Rosemary Kirstein's "Steerswoman" series, you're in for a treat.

In 1985 David Pringle's book, "Science Fiction: The 100 Best Novels: 1949-1984" was published. This year saw the publication of Damien Broderick's and Paul Di Filippo's follow-up book, "Science Fiction: The 101 Best Novels 1985 - 2010". "The Steerswoman" was one of the selected books.

I could quote the glowing review that Broderick and Di Filippo wrote, but it contains spoilers. However they quote a review by Jo Walton. Walton is a reviewer and science fiction author. Here's a part of Walton's review that doesn't contain spoilers:

"If you like science, and you like watching someone work out mysteries, and if you like weird alien worlds and human cultures, if really good prose appeals, and if you can stand reading a series written by someone brilliant who writes excruciatingly slowly but has no inconsistencies whatsoever between volumes written decades apart, then you're in luck."

The books are published by Del Rey. Unfortunately, Del Rey doesn't do a good job for its authors. You can go to Amazon and get the first two books in one volume, "The Steerswoman's Road". It's expensive, $23.95, as it's "publish on demand", however there's a link to used copies which are less than half that. The fourth book in the series, "The Language of Power", is available on Kindle. But reading it first would be a massive spoiler for the first three books. None of the other books are available on Kindle. Contrast with Baen Books whose entire backlist is available on Kindle.

Any science fiction author would kill to be included in an authoritative "best novels" compendium and Rosy (I can call her that because she's a good friend) is no exception. If you would like to read her reaction to her inclusion check out her blog entry. Be sure to read the comments. They are very nice.

http://www.rosemarykirstein.com/2012/07/the-101-best-whats-of-which/

Don't click on the link to Jo Walton's full review. It tells too much about things you would rather discover for yourself, as you read the book.

By the way, if you ever meet Rosy don't refer to her as "an Objectivist writer". She will gently correct you. "I am not an Objectivist writer. I am a writer who happens to be an Objectivist."

[Carlos 0]

-Short stories by Louis L'Amour. Similar to O.Henry (in my opinion), though a little more contrived. Most of them are like Ayn Rand's short story "Good Copy." Always a hero, the girl is always pretty, and the universe is never malevolent. Comfort food.

I'm seeing this late, but late is better than never. If you like Louis L'Amour, must-reads of his are "Last of the Breed" and "The Haunted Mesa".

The Haunted Mesa is a really weird book, and may not be something you'd traditionally expect from L'Amour. It's lots of fun though, and a little spooky in parts.

"Last of the Breed" is the literary equivalent of an 80's guy movie. The hero's chest hair has its own chest hair, and he could bare knuckle box a bear. It also is quite a departure from L'Amour's traditional western books, but certainly a neat and fun read.

The girl is pretty in both books.

[Carlos 0]

Another good suggestion if you are looking for something different is The Silmarillion. Without hyperbole, it's the most beautiful and impressive thing in the fantasy genre I've ever read, or quite possibly of any genre. If you read one chapter, read "Of Beren and Lúthien". Lúthien is pretty too.

[IntellectualAmmo 0]

I'd suggest taking a look at the "You Rate It" section of the forum for some good ideas.

Some books I've loved include The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone (a marvelous portrayal of an artist who is thoroughly dedicated to his work), Noble Vision by Gen LaGreca (Ayn Rand's philosophy dramatized as it applies to medicine, with a well-conceived love story woven in), Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott (dramatic value conflicts and larger-than-life characters), The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins (a deeply suspenseful mystery), and The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (a great story with great characters).

I second the recommendation of Gen LaGreca's "Noble Vision".

And I highly recommend "Hunger for Atlantis"

This a recently book that I take very seriously and regard it to be among the very finest and most important books one can read in Romantic Realism today. It was recently published. I've just reviewed it myself on Amazon, my 5 star review is HERE

Here are a few excerpts from the book: [no spoilers]

I wish to draw your attention to the School for Self-Esteem. The School is an excellent example of thriving children. Much smarter than the average child, they develop because they are given the freedom to develop. No hands force them. There are no ‘Hands All Over’ making them disciplined. They discipline themselves. They work peacefully. They are free to choose. No one tells them what to do. No one should tell us what to do.

They were very quiet, going about their work with reverence. They treated the learning tools delicately, as if the tools were sacred icons. They selected objects from the shelves. When they were finished with didactic tools, they returned them, carefully placing the objects where they had found them. They talked quietly to others, in hushed tones, expressing their admiration for each other's work.

Professor Vandemeer thought that it seemed as if the workshop were not a part of a school - but that it were part of a temple. He thought that the children seemed happy, as if happiness came from work that they were doing. They were proud, as if pride came from how well they did their work. They weren't striving to outdo their peers, but as if they were trying to outdo themselves; from a standard or a measurement that did not come from a teacher, not from the others, not from external surroundings - but that came from within.

He was driven with the thought that one day he would achieve his objective; his mind was the only motive force he knew; his will had kept him up throughout the night, the tortuous days, the long years. He was driven by the pleasure of achieving according to his highest ability.

She simply wanted to be happy. She stood on the cold earth, on the unforgiving and unyielding earth. All she had was one simple desire: to do whatever was right.

Brock’s selection of paintings and sculptures at Sans Soucie portrayed a strong link to reality. A man looked like a man, a woman like a woman, a flower like a flower:—shapes of objects as they appeared in reality—knowable images. […] Every artistic image had a strong resemblance to real life.

Danicka had replied, “Mrs. Glasson, there are no such things as natural ideas already imprinted on the mind. The mind begins as an empty slate. You can’t awaken what’s not there.”

He loved his work. His rewards came from his sense of purpose, his accomplishments; and from his greatest tool: his mind.

One evening, she said to him, “Wouldn’t it be better to be happy today? Doing whatever you really love? Do it for yourself. Not others.” He studied her while she was speaking. “Like the children at the School for Self-Esteem. Shouldn’t you do it for yourself? Not for glory in the eyes of others. Use your mind to its greatest ability. Do it for the present moment. Wouldn’t that take care of the future? Do it today and tomorrow, everyday, one day after another. The future is just a collection of days. If you add up the days that you’re happy, you’ll be happy all along.