[OT] Official Books -|- Literature Thread

[shahbakht]

Since my last post I've read the following and would like suggestions on what to go for next.

Kartography @Blastwave It's hard to find words to describe this book at 6am (just finished it). Thank you.
Forty Rules of Love @shahbakht Loved it. Thank you
Elon Musk
$100 Startup
Abundance of Katherines
Confessions of an Economic Hitman.

Please exclude 1984, Catch 22 and Mockingbird from your suggestions as I already have them but dont feel like picking them up right now.

A good haul of reading, bruh, keep it up. And yes, Forty Rules of Love was tremendous. The two fold narrative, mirroring the lives of Rumi and Shams and the modern world, amazing.

Give the following a looksie when you get the time:

Kane & Abel by Jeffrey Archer: Probably the first book I really really loved. I read this before Harry Potter series and I was amazed by this book. It has some really gripping storylines and great characters.

Looking for Alaska by John Green: I see that you have read An Abundance of Katherines by Green. This is also a must read. I read Fault in Our Stars first and then Alaska, and I think both are brilliant.

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen: A very heavy book with heavy themes of family and blood relations. I was floored by this. This was a long read, but boy, was it rewarding. It is about a family of five, charting their lives in non-chronological order and with biting insight. It might not be immediately relatable to us, as Pakistanis, because the protagonists are a mid-Western American family, but I think such themes are universal and are worth exploring. Read this if you are in the mood for some heavy lifting. You will not be disappointed.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky: The best John Green book not written by John Green. That is reducing it a little bit to bottom line, though. This is a very good and swift read, full of humor and ache, and a wonderful balance in between. Teenage love, friendship, heartbreak, sadness, family...a lot of themes juggling around. I loved it. I rewatched the movie after reading this and I loved the movie more.


I would have suggested more Agatha Christie, John Grisham or Dan Brown but I guess you already know about them. They are really great entry points into your love for reading. They certainly were mine.

Cheers, man, happy reading.

 

[LordIT]

A good haul of reading, bruh, keep it up. And yes, Forty Rules of Love was tremendous. The two fold narrative, mirroring the lives of Rumi and Shams and the modern world, amazing.

Give the following a looksie when you get the time:

Kane & Abel by Jeffrey Archer: Probably the first book I really really loved. I read this before Harry Potter series and I was amazed by this book. It has some really gripping storylines and great characters.

Looking for Alaska by John Green: I see that you have read An Abundance of Katherines by Green. This is also a must read. I read Fault in Our Stars first and then Alaska, and I think both are brilliant.

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen: A very heavy book with heavy themes of family and blood relations. I was floored by this. This was a long read, but boy, was it rewarding. It is about a family of five, charting their lives in non-chronological order and with biting insight. It might not be immediately relatable to us, as Pakistanis, because the protagonists are a mid-Western American family, but I think such themes are universal and are worth exploring. Read this if you are in the mood for some heavy lifting. You will not be disappointed.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky: The best John Green book not written by John Green. That is reducing it a little bit to bottom line, though. This is a very good and swift read, full of humor and ache, and a wonderful balance in between. Teenage love, friendship, heartbreak, sadness, family...a lot of themes juggling around. I loved it. I rewatched the movie after reading this and I loved the movie more.


I would have suggested more Agatha Christie, John Grisham or Dan Brown but I guess you already know about them. They are really great entry points into your love for reading. They certainly were mine.

Cheers, man, happy reading.

Thanks. I'll look into your suggestions. I've already read 2 books by John Green and I don't think I can do another one so soon[emoji14]

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[shahbakht]

The praise for this book was all over the internet and when I read up on it, I was intrigued. I liked modern history and World War II has a special place in my heart because I have seen so many great movies about it and read books on it. I was kinda looking forward to how this would differ from the other fare.

I was pleasantly surprised. This is one of the most descriptive books I have read. The writer weaves the imagery through some brilliant metaphors. The places come alive, the characters are real and interesting and the story breathes. I loved every bit of it. Yes, it is a bit long, running at 500+ pages but it is a thoroughly satisfying and enriching experience.

Told through the eyes of a German mechanical whiz-kid and a blind French girl, the two threads are kept apart from each other for almost the whole narrative, but when they meet, it is brilliant. The two spectra of the war are kept moving forward in an array of chapters that show the horrors of the days they are living in and the past they left behind. It is ultimately a bittersweet tale, as usually all tales of war go. There is an overwhelming sense of destruction and desolation, but hope and belief do play a part. I especially liked the ending few chapters, in which flash forwards rounded out the character arcs and showed us how the war has far reaching effects.

A must read, if a bit time consuming!

 

[UltraViolet]

The praise for this book was all over the internet and when I read up on it, I was intrigued. I liked modern history and World War II has a special place in my heart because I have seen so many great movies about it and read books on it. I was kinda looking forward to how this would differ from the other fare.

I was pleasantly surprised. This is one of the most descriptive books I have read. The writer weaves the imagery through some brilliant metaphors. The places come alive, the characters are real and interesting and the story breathes. I loved every bit of it. Yes, it is a bit long, running at 500+ pages but it is a thoroughly satisfying and enriching experience.

Told through the eyes of a German mechanical whiz-kid and a blind French girl, the two threads are kept apart from each other for almost the whole narrative, but when they meet, it is brilliant. The two spectra of the war are kept moving forward in an array of chapters that show the horrors of the days they are living in and the past they left behind. It is ultimately a bittersweet tale, as usually all tales of war go. There is an overwhelming sense of destruction and desolation, but hope and belief do play a part. I especially liked the ending few chapters, in which flash forwards rounded out the character arcs and showed us how the war has far reaching effects.

A must read, if a bit time consuming!

Currently reading it. although its almost a week but i just manage to cover some 200 pages, finding it difficult to complete bc of its sturdiness and less time.

 

[shahbakht]

Currently reading it. although its almost a weak but i just manage to cover some 200 pages, finding it difficult to complete bc of its sturdiness and less time.

It demands energy and time and patience. It is not an easy read, but do give it a chance. It is worth it.

 

[shahzadfootball]

Reading the kite runner and omg IT IS AMAZING !!!!!!!!!! I would suggest anyone who would like to start reading novels but has hard time picking to start from The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini .It's written in very basic standard English .The Story line is amazing and it really gets to your heart .

It reminds me a bit of The God of Small Things and that's kind of ironic because the authors of both of these book had a traumautising past and both originate from Asia .The two books have a lot in common .

 

[shahbakht]

I absolutely adore the movie. I loved it when I saw it. It had such great characters, and humor and pathos and sadness, everything well packed in, plus the love for music that I was nurturing at that time.

I decided to give this book a read finally because I wanted to read something by Hornby. Even though I have aged a bit and my love for music has waned in the intervening years (my playlist hasn't changed in 3 years), I was still looking forward to this a lot.

This is brilliant. A very insight and fun look at modern romance (well, modern as far as the 90s were concerned). But the characters were so rich. We all know people like that. Stuck with their pre-conceived notions and not growing up. We know them, we might be them. I connected with Rob a lot, even with all the parts where he was an asshole. Because I can be an asshole, a lot of times and it is humbling to be reminded of that. That way you can actually do something to change that.

A tremendous, must read book.

Few words: overrated. This is marginally good. I dunno what the fuss was all about.

 

[shahzadfootball]

Going to try out ,"The Teenage Guy's survival guide" .Because we grow up in a society where our elders don't exactly guide on things like ," sex,periods,puberty because we treat it as a taboo.

 

[XxRebellionxX]

I picked up the Gentleman Bastard's series first book. The lies of Locke Lamora. Man is it amusing and well written. On that topic anyone knows any shop in Karachi where I can buy Red Seas Under Red Skies?

 

[shahbakht]

I wanted to like this a lot. I tried. I failed.

Sorry, Chinaski.

 

[bobama]

I picked up the Gentleman Bastard's series first book. The lies of Locke Lamora. Man is it amusing and well written. On that topic anyone knows any shop in Karachi where I can buy Red Seas Under Red Skies?

Have you tried liberty books? They have a limited stock of mainstream fantasy, though it sells out rather quickly. Scott Lynch, Sanderson, Erikson etc

 

[XxRebellionxX]

Have you tried liberty books? They have a limited stock of mainstream fantasy, though it sells out rather quickly. Scott Lynch, Sanderson, Erikson etc

I asked there but it wasn't available. So are there any other shops where they might be available?

 

[bobama]

Sorry just moved to karachi myself, so i'm not very familiar with the city. I have a Kindle myself, primarily because I couldn't find the books I wanted to read in stores here

 

[shahbakht]

J.K Rowling continues to write under the pseudonym of Robert Galbraith and she is churning out some dark stuff. Post Harry Potter her work has rather been morbid, including the one she wrote under her own name, The Casual Vacancy.

This is the third book in the Cormoran Strike series, which has gained a steady popularity and is being turned into a BBC series as I write. What I find good about this is that Rowling focuses on the day to day workings of detective work. It is extremely well detailed and the writing is vivid and captivating. The two leads are very well defined and that is rare for a detective series (maybe only Sir Arthur Conan Doyle managed it with Sherlock and Watson, Agatha Christie always had one shining detective in her books). Cormoran Strike is a rich character, with flaws and not at all unconquerable. Similarly, Robin is so much more than a sidekick, in some ways even a better detective than Cormoran.

This book consists of murders that become very personal for Cormoran, and it is not disjointed cases like the previous two books. Here Cormoran's past plays a big part and we learn so much more about him. Also, the relationship between Robin and her boss goes in some unexpected and delicious new directions. We learn a great deal about Robin as well, and her story is fascinating. She became such an integral character to this story.

All in all, a very well written thriller, dark, morbid, bleak but engrossing. Looking forward to the BBC TV adaptation. They made a commendable one for The Casual Vacancy, ​but that wasn't a very interesting book to begin with.

- - - Updated - - -

I asked there but it wasn't available. So are there any other shops where they might be available?

Check Liberty Books in Karachi. They have a good collection.

For online, check readings.com.pk, fabingo and The Last Word. Two of these are based in Lahore, so you won't get to visit the store physically but you can check with them if they have your desired book.

 

[shahbakht]

Boys, recommend me something to read. I have exhausted my to-read list and the next one on my radar is not available anywhere in Pakistan (The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah).

I am not a huge fan of fantasy/young adult books, and yes, Harry Potter is the exception.

Awaiting your awesome recommendations!
[MENTION=19453]UltraViolet[/MENTION] [MENTION=6655]LordIT[/MENTION] [MENTION=6068]Ottoman[/MENTION]

 

[Alveaenerle]

Boys, recommend me something to read. I have exhausted my to-read list and the next one on my radar is not available anywhere in Pakistan (The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah).

I am not a huge fan of fantasy/young adult books, and yes, Harry Potter is the exception.

Awaiting your awesome recommendations!
@UltraViolet @LordIT @Ottoman

If you like Harry Potter you'll love The Name of The Wind, author: Patrick Rothfuss.

 

[shahbakht]

If you like Harry Potter you'll love The Name of The Wind, author: Patrick Rothfuss.

Not really looking for fantasy. Something other?

This is the stuff I have read recently:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/23034771?shelf=read

 

[UltraViolet]

Am currently reading "At the mountains of madness" a factual account of an antarctic expedition, by HP Lovecraft.
although Lovecraft is unusual and not likable immediately but this book has some good stuff so far. I start reading it after hearing that
Prometheus movie is based on this book's idea, so you should look into it. [MENTION=4840]shahbakht[/MENTION]

 

[shahbakht]

Am currently reading "At the mountains of madness" a factual account of an antarctic expedition, by HP Lovecraft.
although Lovecraft is unusual and not likable immediately but this book has some good stuff so far. I start reading it after hearing that
Prometheus movie is based on this book's idea, so you should look into it. @shahbakht

Cheers, man, will look into it. Seems intriguing, definitely.

Got three more:

The Rosie Project
A Perfect Spy by John Le Carre
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

 

[shahbakht]

Reread A Game of Thrones and am definitely going to rewatch the series as well. I found that the second reading was much more fruitful than the first. Because you know all the players, and the setup, you can pay attention to other details, things you would otherwise deem unimportant. I'm still awed by the fact that Martin created such a detailed and rich world, and insidiously incorporated all the fantasy elements, just barely. I know that the book starts to meander a lot by the time A Feast for Crows comes, but so far this is as intricate and tightly written as anything.

Next in the to-read list:

A Case of Exploding Mangoes
A Rage for Order
A Perfect Spy
The Rosie Project
The Rosie Effect
Freedom