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[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

GAF and the Bible.

Such curious bedfellows.

The Bible is one of the worst fanfiction I ever read. Like all religious text

 

[Rest]

Everything else aside, it's not even well written.

You have to remember that the Bible's primary purpose is not to communicate or teach, but to filter out questioners and thinkers. Genesis is the worst written part of the Bible, but it is also one of the newest parts of the old testament. Parts of it don't make sense, because if you're trying to get multiple new people to follow your religion in a new area, you need people who aren't going to rock the boat. You need people who aren't going to wonder why it doesn't make sense, maybe because they're used to not understanding things and will just let the thought pass them by. Or, you want people who if they do ask you questions, they will accept simple, possibly noncommittal answers like "god is mysterious" from anyone who presents themself as an authority on the subject.

The badly written parts of the Bible are badly written on purpose.

 

[Maiden Voyage]

I’ve never had the desire to rank my top 5 favorite books. There are way too many to choose from.

 

[AJUMP23]

What audio Bible?

I’m recently going through the Word of Promise and it is very good.

Bible I mainly read, with my eyes. If I listen just use the Youversion app.

 

[Danknugz]

early goosebumps before it was cool.

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

early goosebumps before it was cool.

Night of The Living Dummy is my favorite Goosebumps book

 

[PuppetMaster]

This week I finished Guitar Zero. (Audible version) Which I thought was pretty interesting.

It is a book about the author's journey of going from playing Guitar Hero games, to actually playing guitar well. And what he learned along the way.

And it is written from a cognitive science perspective. Like how humans learn. How we learn complex things like playing and instruments. How much is learned vs inherently a human trait or talent. Some basics on the science of music. Etc.

The author Gary Marcus I only know about because he was on a podcast taking about AI and machine learning. Which is his main expertise. But he wrote this book about learning to play guitar from scratch; not as a kid but as an adult in his late 30's. And I was intrigued.

 

[Handel]

I haven't read as much as I really should have since finishing school, but I used to be a voracious reader.

1. Great Expectations : Watching Pip grow up in the fucked up tangled mess that was put on him by adults trying to live vicariously through children really struck a chord with my teenage self. We were given the book as an assignment in literature class but weren't supposed to start it until after Winter break, naturally I read all of it during the Winter break, and it's been my favorite singular book ever since.

2. A Song of Ice and Fire : The cast of characters is just the best I've encountered in any work of fiction, with Stannis Baratheon being my favorite character in fiction. The interweaving storylines and gradual build up of scale is just masterfully done as well.

3. His Dark Materials : As an edgelord atheist when I first read this trilogy as a teen, a story about killing "god" really appealed to me. Lyra and Will are great dual leads, with very impactful endings to their stories. Worldbuilding in general is fascinating, with daemons in particular being a great narrative tool as well as a fun aspect to think about in terms of what daemon you and others IRL would have.

4. The Giver : This book holds a special place in my heart for opening up my eyes to a greater depth of moral thought, having read it at a pretty young age.

5. The Hobbit : This book is just a fun adventure all the way through, so much different in writing style from the LOTR trilogy.

 

[Star-Lord]

1. The Hobbit
2. A Song Of Ice & Fire
3. Lord Of The Rings
4. His Dark Materials
5. Jack Reacher

 

[West Texas CEO]

Everything else aside, it's not even well written.

The Iliad and the Odyssey are much better reads.

Which version of the Bible are you talking about?

 

[John Marston]

I still take time to relax and read when I can. It's sort of a meditation for me. I love the smell & feel of an actual physical book.

Top 5 is really hard but if I had to guess in no particular order:

-Women by Charles Bukowski
-The Stranger by Albert Camus
-Cancer Ward by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
-Journey to the End of the Night by Céline
-On The Road by Jack Kerouac

 

[sammyys]

My top 5 favorite books:

The Silmarillion, J. R. R. Tolkien
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
Life of Pi, Yann Martel
1984, George Orwell

George Orwell is my favorite writer, I'm writing an essay about his work. To save my time I decided to pay to write my essay with no mistakes, hope with pro help I'll finish it at high level. These guys helped me with grammar and plagiarism check.

 

[PaddyOCanager]

Night of The Living Dummy is my favorite Goosebumps book

This is the only Goosebumps book that legit scared me as a kid.

 

[IDKFA]

Fuck it. I said it would be impossible for me to write a top five list, but I'll give it a stab. Because I read as much fiction as nonfiction, I've made it into two separate lists.

No order of preference.

Fiction:

Remains of the Day: Kazuo Ishiguro

Silence: Shūsaku Endō

Emma: Jane Austen

A Christmas Carol: Charles Dickens

The Lord of the Rings: JRR Tolkien

Nonfiction.

The Hundred Years War (parts I - IV) - Lord Jonathan Sumption.

Napoleon the Great: Andrew Roberts

Entangled Life: Merlin Sheldrake

Promise Me You'll Shoot Yourself: Florian Huber

The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: Steve Brusatte.

 

[Mascot]

I've recently discovered Robert Goddard, and am ploughing my way through his back catalogue.
His historical thrillers are superb.

 

[I_D]

Next series I try to read is malazan, which might take year to finish.

I have read TONS of fantasy series. So many I couldn't even list them all. Most of them are forgettable, but some of them are quite good.

I'm a fan of RA Salvatore.
I like GoT and WoT. I like Narnia and Harry Potter.
I like the Licanius series, and the Black Company, and A Wrinkle in Time.
I like Discworld and Ender, and I like Warhammer.

I like all kinds of fantasy and scifi series.

Malazan, though.... Malazan is a whole different league of literature.
Malazan is better compared to Milton, and Chaucer, and Dante, and Homer, and Cervantes, and Tolstoy, and the rest of the epic-authors.





So, in other words, you better hustle up.

 

[PendekarRajawali]

You guys still read books? Don't you have phones?

 

[IFireflyl]

Its something I have wanted to do more of since forever.
There are a couple of random times in my life that I have picked up one and I always enjoy the experience.

I prefer physical copies---I focus better and find I dont become distracted.
For instance using an app on my phone.

So I bought a Kindle and I love it.

 

[Lady Jane]

Don't hate on people who use Kindles. Reading is reading. Kindles are convenient as fuck. The only reason I still read books is to put them on my shelf like they're trophies and I can lend them to others as a friendly gesture. Without those elements, I would be on a Kindle.

 

[Kssio_Aug]

It's very hard to make a top 5 (for most of things to be fair). But I think currently my favorites are these:

- Dune
- Lord of the Rings (trilogy)
- The Hobbit
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass
- Crime and Punishment

I won't even number them though, because they're all pretty awesome for so many different reasons that I think it's kinda unfair to compare one another.

And I have been reading Treasure Island and I Am Legend, both also have been absolutely fantastic.

 

[IDKFA]

Don't hate on people who use Kindles. Reading is reading. Kindles are convenient as fuck. The only reason I still read books is to put them on my shelf like they're trophies and I can lend them to others as a friendly gesture. Without those elements, I would be on a Kindle.

Both are good. The most important thing is to read, and if somebody finds it more convenient on a Kindle then that's cool.

I have a Kindle, but use it for books I wouldn't purchase as I'd only read once. Stuff like the Jack Reacher series for example.

I still buy a load of physical books, but mostly nonfiction. Books are the only physical media I collect. I love having a small library at my disposal. I see as collecting culture and knowledge. I can also pass my books on when I die.

The Kindle has also been a godsend for traveling. So much easier to carry a kindle around then a hardback book!

TL;DR both are great and have their pros and cons. The main thing is that you're reading.

 

[Lady Jane]

The Kindle has also been a godsend for traveling. So much easier to carry a kindle around then a hardback book!

But then how do you show your intellectual superiority to those around you by bringing out a book when you're on the plane?

 

[IDKFA]

But then how do you show your intellectual superiority to those around you by bringing out a book when you're on the plane?

That's a good point. I'm traveling in a few weeks. Might leave the Kindle at home and take my hardback tome on the history of the Ottoman Empire, just to flex my intellectual superiority to the plebs on the plane.

Thanks for the reminder. Almost made a huge mistake by taking my kindle and reading pleb fiction.

 

[Lady Jane]

That's a good point. I'm traveling in a few weeks. Might leave the Kindle at home and take my hardback tome on the history of the Ottoman Empire, just to flex my intellectual superiority to the plebs on the plane.

Thanks for the reminder. Almost made a huge mistake by taking my kindle and reading pleb fiction.

Don't forget to ask for wine and then settle for the plane's low-class whiskey.

 

[kikkis]

Didn't read for awhile and Malazan seemed quite daunting task after all, but I read Mistborn book 1. I really liked it apart from some ball chapters. On to the next one.

 

[Mr Hyde]

Pet Sematary, Misery, IT and The Shining by Stephen King
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Children of Men by P.D James
Any short story of novella by by H.P Lovecraft
Intensity by Dean Koontz
Metro 2033 by Dimitry Glughkovski (enjoyed the whole series actually)
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
The brothers lionheart by Astrid Lindgren
Let the right one in by John Ajvide Lindqvist
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

These are just some of favorite books, I have loads more, but gotta keep the list short, lol.

 

[What A Shame...]

Top 5? Oof, that's hard.

- H.P. Lovecraft: The Complete Fiction
- The Fisherman by John Langan (The most Lovecraftian non-Lovecraft book I've ever read, and super fucking eerie)
- 1984 by George Orwell
- World War Z by Max Brooks
- The Stand by Stephen King

 

[pauljeremiah]

Animal Farm by George Orwell
One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhen
Stranger In The Woods by Michael Finkel
Ulysses by James Joyce
The Naked And The Dead by Norman Mailer

 

[NahaNago]

It's been awhile since I read any books. Mostly just web novels lately.

My favorite books were

a lot of books by Simon R. Green like

• Blue Moon Rising ( had no idea that it was part of a series called the Forest Kingdom only ever also read Beyond the Blue Moon . I prefer Beyond the Blue Moon but read Blue Moon Rising first)
• Hawk and Fisher series
• The deathstalker series

The Harry Potter would also be listed in my favorite books.
The Wheel of Time series was a series I loved back in the day.
The Fall of Angels by L.E. Modesitt it introduced me to the series the saga of recluce

Honorable mentions would be
Terry Goodkind's The Sword of Truth series. I was a big fan for awhile but it kept just dragging on with new threat after new threat
Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files series . There was like a 5 year delay between books and I just fell of the series.
Kim Harrison's The Hollow Series kept going until I lost interest
Piers Anthony's Xanth Series was always some weird fun

There are still a ton more fantasy novel authors I could list.( Mercedes Lackey, Patricia Brigg, Tad Williams, the Max series)

I used to read a lot of fantasy back in the day. I've like completely stopped for the most part unfortunately

Oh yeah, I loved the death and life of Superman book.

 

[Lasha]

Reading is probably my biggest source of entertainment. I try to read 100 books per year across a broad range of topics. Picking a top list is difficult because I have probably 200 books that I would be happy re-reading anytime. A better classification would be the books which had the biggest impact in my life.

1. The Count of Monte Cristo - I still feel a deep emotional impact when Edmond Dantes first reveals himself. The thoroughness of the Count's revenge is inspiring.

2. Dune - I learned to read from this book. My parents bought me a copy at a yard sale when I was in Kindergarten. Herbert's prose is dense enough before you account for all of the in-universe terms that are presented without explanation. His universe is intoxicating and I still get something new out of my annual readings.

3. Arsène Lupin, Gentleman Burglar - All of LeBlanc's stories are pretty good but I would take the first collection of stories if I could only have one book. "The Queen's Necklace" does the best job of introducing the motivations and charm of Arsène Lupin.

4. Forever War/Starship Troopers - I think that these two books should always be read in tandem. They both address similar topics but from very different viewpoints. Heinlein's writing was incredibly progressive for its time even if some ideas didn't age well. Haldeman's use of the Tauren conflict as an allegory for Vietnam is perfect.

5. Georgia: A Political History Since Independence - An engaging and well-written history book about a part of the world that is seldom covered.

Honorable mentions would be:

• The Hyperion Cantos
• Lord of the Rings
• Roadside Picnic
• Remembrance of Earth's past
• The Witcher series

 

[Star-Lord]

1. I Am Legend
2. 1984
3. World War Z
4. Fight Club
5. Choke

 

[PhaseJump]

Top 5

Malazan Book of the Fallen
The Lord of the Rings
The Dark Tower
Dune
American Gods

My book cases are full of fantasy and sci-fi stuff.

Currently running through Stormlight, The Death Gate Cycle, Malazan, SK's Fairy Tale, and I'll be damned if I give a shit to ever pick up Ice and Fire prequels while waiting for GRRM to finish his bullshit series.

Name of the Wind is an overrated experience, a non starter to go back to for me since dick-move Rothfuss didn't finish book 3 and lied for charity donations.

Next up on my list is Book of the Ancestor.

I might go back to Forgotten Realms Drizzt, I have the collectors books from a while ago. The first 4 sets with the 13? books collected. RA Salvatore is a pulp machine. I need to mentally prepare for his juvenile pandering style and pacing.


When I am not reading everything, I am playing Skyrim on Steam Deck, waiting for the weekly Rings of Power episode. Everyone hates how awful it is, but I enjoy watching half assed poorly written TV.

 

[Jennings]

No particular order:

• On Writing by Stephen King. A semi-autobiographical non-fiction book on creative writing.
• The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson. A compilation of uneasy short stories.
• Books of Blood by Clive Barker. Horror stories.
• The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks. Psychological fiction.
• Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon. This is the book that the TV show Homicide: Life on the Streets was based on. Written by then-journalist David Simon, creator of HBO's The Wire.

 

[IWasInSeinfeld]

I want to read books, but it seems like I have some sort of... thing, where I can't concentrate my attention on reading, and I can't listen to audiobooks either, I can't pull my attention together there as well.

 

[NecrosaroIII]

I want to read books, but it seems like I have some sort of... thing, where I can't concentrate my attention on reading, and I can't listen to audiobooks either, I can't pull my attention together there as well.

It's a skill like anything else. Start off small.

My recommendation is to read 15 minutes before bed every night. After a few weeks, expand out to 30 minutes. Then an hour. It's a great way to relax before sleeping

 

[IWasInSeinfeld]

It's a skill like anything else. Start off small.

My recommendation is to read 15 minutes before bed every night. After a few weeks, expand out to 30 minutes. Then an hour. It's a great way to relax before sleeping

Oh, that is a decent advice, I never thought of that before, thank you, sir.

 

[Artoris]

The Lord of the Rings

the other four I can't choose

 

[pramod]

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Life, Universe, and Everything
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

 

[IDKFA]

It's a skill like anything else. Start off small.

My recommendation is to read 15 minutes before bed every night. After a few weeks, expand out to 30 minutes. Then an hour. It's a great way to relax before sleeping

Sound advice.

When I was 18, I didn't read a lot of books. I found it impossible to focus. However, I started reading a little longer every day until I was hooked.

Fast forward 19 years and I have a vast personal library of almost 1000 physical books and read on average a book a week. Reading and book collecting are easily my number one hobbies.

Not only is reading enjoyable, but it also results in a number of health benefits as well. Something you don't get from other forms of escapism.

 

[Drake]

I used to read a TON about 10 years ago. I kinda stopped because I got busier with other things. A guy I worked with (around 2010) told me they were making a TV show called A Game of Thrones and that I should read the books before the show came out. I did and I was absolutely blown away. As much as people shit on GRRM I think all the books in that series are great and well worth the read.

If you are looking for someone more consistent then check out Brandon Sanderson. The Stormlight Archive is probably the 2nd biggest fantasy series around. They are way more accessible, but definitely not as gritty as ASOIAF.

I hate Patrick Rothfuss as a person, but I can't deny the mans talent. His first 2 Kingkiller Chronicles books are phenomenal. I wonder if we'll ever get book 3.

 

[PhaseJump]

I used to read a TON about 10 years ago. I kinda stopped because I got busier with other things. A guy I worked with (around 2010) told me they were making a TV show called A Game of Thrones and that I should read the books before the show came out. I did and I was absolutely blown away. As much as people shit on GRRM I think all the books in that series are great and well worth the read.

If you are looking for someone more consistent then check out Brandon Sanderson. The Stormlight Archive is probably the 2nd biggest fantasy series around. They are way more accessible, but definitely not as gritty as ASOIAF.

I hate Patrick Rothfuss as a person, but I can't deny the mans talent. His first 2 Kingkiller Chronicles books are phenomenal. I wonder if we'll ever get book 3.

Lord of the Rings, Dune, Harry Potter, Earthsea, Sword of Truth, Wheel of Time, Conan the Barbarian, The Dark Tower, A Song of Ice and Fire, etc.

Stormlight is the 2nd biggest fantasy series around? In the Cosmere, sure. But I wouldn't put it above Mistborn in it's popularity yet. Mistborn is also getting kicked around Hollywood so who knows how things will go for it.

 

[kikkis]

I began believing in God again last evening and had spiritual experience through out the night. So one Bible, please next.

 

[Lasha]

I began believing in God again last evening and had spiritual experience through out the night. So one Bible, please next.

Why read the bible? Grab yourself the Quran and enjoy version 3.0!

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

I began believing in God again last evening and had spiritual experience through out the night. So one Bible, please next.

Were you on drugs?

 

[kikkis]

Were you on drugs?

Nope, i have never used any drugs including alcohol

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

One thing I'll always find hard to understand is how people don't read books. Then again, I learned to read at 4 and since then the days I haven't had my nose in a book were very rare indeed.

Making a top 5 is impossible. I've read some great books when I was too young to fully appreciate them, so if I read them again I'd surely rank them higher.

Off the top of my head I could mention The Lord of the Rings, Les Miserables, Terry Pratchett's Mort, Stephen King's It, and The Sword of Shannara (I'm very aware that one of these is literarily inferior, but I don't care).

 

[What A Shame...]

I want to read books, but it seems like I have some sort of... thing, where I can't concentrate my attention on reading, and I can't listen to audiobooks either, I can't pull my attention together there as well.

Try starting with a short story collection of a genre you're interested in.

There are boatloads of sci-fi, horror and fantasy collections that include really interesting stories, many of them as short as 20-30 pages.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

You have to remember that the Bible's primary purpose is not to communicate or teach, but to filter out questioners and thinkers. Genesis is the worst written part of the Bible, but it is also one of the newest parts of the old testament. Parts of it don't make sense, because if you're trying to get multiple new people to follow your religion in a new area, you need people who aren't going to rock the boat. You need people who aren't going to wonder why it doesn't make sense, maybe because they're used to not understanding things and will just let the thought pass them by. Or, you want people who if they do ask you questions, they will accept simple, possibly noncommittal answers like "god is mysterious" from anyone who presents themself as an authority on the subject.

The badly written parts of the Bible are badly written on purpose.

So it’s like the equivalent of modern day Nigerian prince scam?

Regarding my Top5:

1. Dune
2. Witcher
3. LotR
4. Black Oceans by Jacek Dukaj
5. Atlas Shrugged

 

[Radical Dreamer]

Three Body Problem was one of the better ones I've read in recent years...

 

[Nobody_Important]

I love too many to make a list.


Right now though I am on a massive Warhammer kick. RIP my wallet.