[eveningdiary]

Roosh has offered us a profound platter of books that lean towards personal development, history, economics, and political science, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who believes his book reviews and recommendations are appreciated by a wide variety of his readers. I was actually caught off guard when he wrote a review for The Great Gatsby, a fiction book, in his last installment. I know he reviewed fiction in earlier reviews but he hadn't done so in awhile. There's a lot of great fiction that should be circling the manosphere, so I think we should start here:

FightClub by Chuck Palahnuik



First and foremost, the cult classic Palahnuik book sinks through the skins of white collared workers, directionless conveyor belt cogs of the current generation, and hopeful men who believe in a lie. Everyone who has watched the movie knows how important this book is to our generation in uncovering the threat consumerism has on our lives. Men have lost the sense to be men. The book is about a nameless narrative who while on a plane casually meets a man named Tyler Durden, a piercingly coy character who embodies an unnaturally interesting aura. The main character comes home to find his apartment skewered in smoke as the street surrounding his building is covered by everything he owns. In a splitting moment while standing in front of payphone he finds Tyler Durden's business card and meets him for several pitchers of beer where they talk about how consumerism has changed the way people choose to live their destiny. Behind the bar, in the parking lot, Tyler Durden has a favor to ask him. "I want you to hit me as hard as you can."

The book leads into an underground club of pissed off men who have found that marketing has taken away their will to think as individuals. The club is focused on one and one exhibitions in which people beat the sense into each other, awakening their will, their thoughts, and their beliefs in survival.

If you've watched the movie, you should really read the book. You're missing out on a lot.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon




If Pablo Neruda ended up writing a Dickens tale, it would be The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. It takes the pensive journey through a boy's life into manhood and artfully articulates it through delicately poetic prose. On one night where Daniel Sempere cannot remember the face of his mother, his father takes him to a hidden underground library known as the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. Here, Daniel is able to choose one book to adopt and protect at all costs. The aisles turn into labrynths and Daniel soon finds himself among thousands of titles and spines keeping in mind, that it is believed that it isn't him who is said to choose the book, it is the book that chooses him. In an aisle, while searching, he notices that one book isn't alligned with the other books and has it's spine slightly pushed out. This is how he finds the author Julian Carax.

There is no other copies of any books by Juilan Carax. As much as he digs, Daniel cannot find anything about the author. Until one day he meets a man whose daughter is a fan of Carax's work. When he meets the man's daughter, he sits down next to her and reads to her. Her name is Clara and she's blind.

Loved this book! It is effing phenomenal! You guys should read it, for it's writing, for it's story, and because it'll reignite a hunger to read. The Shadow of the Wind is just one installment of a series of books that surrounds itself around The Cemetery of Forgotten Books.

Harry Potter (Series)




Harry Potter is a book about a dorky nerdy little kid who says spells that sound like petroleum jelly and waves a wand around and shoots glittery dust at old dudes in robes. I have yet to watch all the movies and I have yet to read all the books. I've read two so far. The writing isn't spectacular. The stories are cool. However! If you were to read any series to capture the attention of any girl out there, Harry Potter would be that series. No, you should not read Twilight because you'll be automatically friendzoned by doing so. I haven't even touched 50 Shades of Gray! Hunger Games is okay, I mostly read Hunger Games because the writing was good. However, when it comes to peaking the attention of women through literary devices, Harry Potter takes the cake.

Why should you read Harry Potter?

It's fun, it's quick, the first and the second stories are actually woven quite well, and it gives you a lot to connect with with most girls.

That's it for the first installment. Hopefully, we could get something started here. I'll try to continue posting about books I read and hopefully other people could review and recommend books that they believe should be circling the manosphere.

[Handsome Creepy Eel]

Interesting reviews and good reasoning. I have to say that I despise Chuck Palahniuk, not because of the Fight Club but because his writing is frequently quoted by girls wanting to rationalize their stupid lifestyle choices that have nothing to do with it, similar to how they do with Marilyn Monroe. I shouldn't hate the man for it, but that was just my first impression.

Speaking of fiction books, I recommend everyone skipping Eragon (Christopher Paolini), Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan) and Dragonbone Throne (Tad Williams). I found all of those books extremely predictable, long and rambling in the worst ways possible. In Harry Potter, stuff actually happens fairly quickly as your post describes.

[Roosh]

The big problem with fiction, at least current fiction, is that they are written by people without much life experience, so the characters are not believable. Fiction is getting harder to stomach as I get older. Immediately there is a scene that just wouldn't happen in real life.

[scotian]

I don't usually read much fiction but once in awhile I stumble upon a book I really like, the last time was "Barney's Version" by the late Mordechai Richler, great book.

My all time favorite fiction novel is still Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh.

[eveningdiary]

(09-17-2012 04:45 PM)Roosh Wrote:  

The big problem with fiction, at least current fiction, is that they are written by people without much life experience, so the characters are not believable. Fiction is getting harder to stomach as I get older. Immediately there is a scene that just wouldn't happen in real life.

Sometimes the world is so harnessed to reality that it need a fictitious character to lead them off the ground.

[Katatonic]

(09-17-2012 04:45 PM)Roosh Wrote:  

The big problem with fiction, at least current fiction, is that they are written by people without much life experience, so the characters are not believable. Fiction is getting harder to stomach as I get older. Immediately there is a scene that just wouldn't happen in real life.

I mostly agree with you here. The majority of great writers didn't really write anything decent until they were 35+ years of age. I don't know if it's cynicism, apathy, or just life experience, but there is a difference in fiction of the younger and older crowds, and between today and even a generation ago.

Here are a couple of my favorites:

The Stories of John Cheever - John Cheever

Probably my favorite writer of the 20th century.

Rogue Male - Geoffrey Household

This book is neck and neck with "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" as my favorite British novel.

There are many others I'll post with full reviews in the near future. Just wanted to throw a couple out there.

[Cookie]

My favorite fiction books with a brief review:



Teatro Grottesco by Thomas Lingotti:

This is a "philosophical horror anthology. It's hard to explain why the stories are good, because many of them are somewhat redundant (this is a book were you can four stories and get have already have uncovered all the books themes and plots), despite this this these stories are still really good.

I'm just going to quote this Amazon review to summarize what the book is like:

Quote:

In "The Town Manager", we are told of the mysterious disappearances of a town's unelected, unrequested town managers, each of which institute reforms which hasten the town's decay. "Our Temporary Supervisor" has the narrator in a meaningless job detailing how a new employee, in collusion with a new, horribly undefined and unseen supervisor, transforms a factory job into virtually round the clock enslavement via social pressure. While it is tempting to see these stories as commentaries on politics and capitalism, I think Ligotti has just set his existential horror in a more recognizable, specific setting.

Quantum of Solace by Ian Flemming:



I liked the James Bond short stories much more than I do the full length books. Flemming's written James Bond is more like Don Drapper than Roger Moore (probably the worst Bond of all time) or Sean Connery. This isn't a life changing book, but it's a decent read.

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and terry Pratchett



One of the funniest books I've ever read. I love really like that British dry wit humor, which this book is almost exclusively made up of.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman



This is a really clever book that should interest anyone who enjoys mythology and how religion evolves as it spreads. It also makes a compelling statement about how technology is now our new religion.

Parker the Hunter by Richard Stark



When a book's biggest fan demographic is prison inmates, you know it has to be good. This is the only crime novel (and series series) I have ever enjoyed and it reads like a day in the life of the Gmanifesto.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho



This book had a huge impact on my life and really made me want to see and do more in the world than just what was required of me. If it wasn't for this book: I wouldn't be here, would never have traveled, and would probably still be nerding out on videogames and imgur because I'd have never thought to do anything else.

[tarquin]

(09-17-2012 04:45 PM)Roosh Wrote:  

The big problem with fiction, at least current fiction, is that they are written by people without much life experience, so the characters are not believable. Fiction is getting harder to stomach as I get older. Immediately there is a scene that just wouldn't happen in real life.

I realized today that I haven't read fiction in about 10 years. Every time I have picked up a fiction book I quickly grow bored. I just started reading Ham on Rye, which is autobiographical fiction. It is a bit of a stepping stone to actual fiction. I'm genuinely enjoying it so far.

I wandered around a book store for about an hour trying to find some other fiction that I could possibly like. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks:



I have disliked fiction because most modern fiction is masturbatory (or hamsterbatory) literature written by women (or women-like men). What fiction isn't about hamsterbating is either: written for children; shoddily written; lacks insight to how the world actually works; trite; contains heroines for the sole purpose of having a leading female character; or any combination thereof.

The best selling books of the past decade include: Twilight (hamsterbating); Harry Potter (for children); Dan Brown novels (trite rewriting of Illuminati/Mason conspiracy theories); Eat, Pray, Love (non-fiction hamsterbating); and The Five People You Meet in Heaven (hamsterbation, lacks insight).

See for yourself:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie...1000473871

Add to that the currently popular books of 50 Shades of Gray(sex), Hunger Games (heroine), whatever crap Sylvia Day is writing (slut novels) and there is really no reason for a MAN to read fiction now that Michael Crichton is dead.

Besides all of the popular stuff, there are all the trashy romance novels, trite mystery paperbacks with generic names and even more generic plots (The Key Lime Pie Murder), and 1000's of other books with titles and pictures to indicate that the book is about a woman who was "forced" to leave her husband at 40 and prove to herself that she still has "it," whatever that means.


In fact, I realized today, that I can't name a female author who wrote anything I enjoyed. This isn't a mistake, either. This is by design.

As demonstrated elsewhere, women have co-opted the educational environment to encourage girls and discourage boys. The result of which is the creation of more feminine novels, more female enjoyment in reading, more long-term female readers and less male interest in reading (and consequently writing).


The only fiction remotely available to men is a sick and twisted caricature of what men really want to read: space cowboy novels and dragon-fighting fantasy circle-jerking. Nope, this isn't for me.

Perhaps women, by nature, have always enjoyed fiction more than men, but today the fiction market now exists to cater almost exclusively to women with very few exceptions.

[HoustonRookie]

The Contortionists Handbook by Craig Clevenger

Knockemstiff by Donald Ray Pollock

The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson


In response to Roosh's criticism, I think you'll find that Knockemstiff has a strange, gritty realism to it.

[eveningdiary]

(09-17-2012 09:59 PM)tarquin Wrote:  

(09-17-2012 04:45 PM)Roosh Wrote:  

The big problem with fiction, at least current fiction, is that they are written by people without much life experience, so the characters are not believable. Fiction is getting harder to stomach as I get older. Immediately there is a scene that just wouldn't happen in real life.

I realized today that I haven't read fiction in about 10 years. Every time I have picked up a fiction book I quickly grow bored. I just started reading Ham on Rye, which is autobiographical fiction. It is a bit of a stepping stone to actual fiction. I'm genuinely enjoying it so far.

I wandered around a book store for about an hour trying to find some other fiction that I could possibly like. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks:



I have disliked fiction because most modern fiction is masturbatory (or hamsterbatory) literature written by women (or women-like men). What fiction isn't about hamsterbating is either: written for children; shoddily written; lacks insight to how the world actually works; trite; contains heroines for the sole purpose of having a leading female character; or any combination thereof.

The best selling books of the past decade include: Twilight (hamsterbating); Harry Potter (for children); Dan Brown novels (trite rewriting of Illuminati/Mason conspiracy theories); Eat, Pray, Love (non-fiction hamsterbating); and The Five People You Meet in Heaven (hamsterbation, lacks insight).

See for yourself:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie...1000473871

Add to that the currently popular books of 50 Shades of Gray(sex), Hunger Games (heroine), whatever crap Sylvia Day is writing (slut novels) and there is really no reason for a MAN to read fiction now that Michael Crichton is dead.

Besides all of the popular stuff, there are all the trashy romance novels, trite mystery paperbacks with generic names and even more generic plots (The Key Lime Pie Murder), and 1000's of other books with titles and pictures to indicate that the book is about a woman who was "forced" to leave her husband at 40 and prove to herself that she still has "it," whatever that means.


In fact, I realized today, that I can't name a female author who wrote anything I enjoyed. This isn't a mistake, either. This is by design.

As demonstrated elsewhere, women have co-opted the educational environment to encourage girls and discourage boys. The result of which is the creation of more feminine novels, more female enjoyment in reading, more long-term female readers and less male interest in reading (and consequently writing).


The only fiction remotely available to men is a sick and twisted caricature of what men really want to read: space cowboy novels and dragon-fighting fantasy circle-jerking. Nope, this isn't for me.

Perhaps women, by nature, have always enjoyed fiction more than men, but today the fiction market now exists to cater almost exclusively to women with very few exceptions.

This is true. This needs to change.

[phoenixhr]

Quote:

The only fiction remotely available to men is a sick and twisted caricature of what men really want to read: space cowboy novels and dragon-fighting fantasy circle-jerking. Nope, this isn't for me.

I don't believe this is remotely true. The problem is that the quality faction isn't even remotely as well advertised because it's not the quick fix that main stream America wants. Blame marketing for 50 Shades of Shit.



Terry Pratchett - Unseen Academicals

I've read everything by Terry Pratchett at least 4 times. A fantastic author and great dry humor.



Dresden Files

Another quality fictional author. Dresden Files are never too slow and the not knowing what the final outcome will be till the very end definitely keeps you reading.



Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time

Wheel of Time definitely isn't for everyone, and many consider him to be way too long winded. But at least the first 8-9 books are interesting. He gets more and more long winded as the books go on because there are too many subplots and too much going on by book 13.



Oliver Pötzsch - The Hangman's Daughter

I Just finished these audiobooks and was quite surprised that I liked it for a 1600s detective story.



Dean Koontz - Odd Thomas

Trying these audiobooks out myself for the first time. So far i'm liking it.

[ColSpanker]

There's plenty of good stuff out there you just have to look hard for it. KW Jeter's KIM OH novels kick ass.
I'll be checking out the Butcher novel. I just read a damnation on it from a whack-job feminist and that's the best endorsement you could want.

[tarquin]

I will give you that there is some good stuff out there, I just haven't found it yet.

[Grit]

(09-17-2012 11:51 PM)eveningdiary Wrote:  

See for yourself:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie...1000473871

To those interested: that list is the top 100 Amazon books. The first book obviously read by men was #76: The Watchmen. Everything else: female fiction, self help, pop psychology, cult fiction.

[Caligula]

(09-18-2012 11:20 PM)Grit Wrote:  

(09-17-2012 11:51 PM)eveningdiary Wrote:  

See for yourself:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie...1000473871

To those interested: that list is the top 100 Amazon books. The first book obviously read by men was #76: The Watchmen. Everything else: female fiction, self help, pop psychology, cult fiction.

Don't know, the Tipping Point at no. 21 is probably mostly read by men. But yeah, still interesting. Maybe men read less? Maybe men are less inclined to read what everyone else is reading? There's a huge long-tail of books that are mostly read by men: histories, real crime, etc. but with fewer notable big hits.

[Spike]

This is one of my favorite fiction books. The Long walk from Stephen King. Written in the late sixties under the pseudonym Richard Bachman.

It's about:
In the near future, where America has become a police state, one hundred boys are selected to enter an annual contest where the winner will be awarded whatever he wants for the rest of his life. The game is simple - maintain a steady walking pace of four miles per hour without stopping. Three warnings and you're out - permanently.

The book has many different covers but for obvious reasons I like this one.

[attachment=7808]

[Moma]

(09-19-2012 09:50 AM)Neil Skywalker Wrote:  

This is one of my favorite fiction books. The Long walk from Stephen King. Written in the late sixties under the pseudonym Richard Bachman.

It's about:
In the near future, where America has become a police state, one hundred boys are selected to enter an annual contest where the winner will be awarded whatever he wants for the rest of his life. The game is simple - maintain a steady walking pace of four miles per hour without stopping. Three warnings and you're out - permanently.

The book has many different covers but for obvious reasons I like this one.

How long are they supposed to walk for?

[Spike]

(09-19-2012 10:22 AM)Moma Wrote:  

(09-19-2012 09:50 AM)Neil Skywalker Wrote:  

This is one of my favorite fiction books. The Long walk from Stephen King. Written in the late sixties under the pseudonym Richard Bachman.

It's about:
In the near future, where America has become a police state, one hundred boys are selected to enter an annual contest where the winner will be awarded whatever he wants for the rest of his life. The game is simple - maintain a steady walking pace of four miles per hour without stopping. Three warnings and you're out - permanently.

The book has many different covers but for obvious reasons I like this one.

How long are they supposed to walk for?

Until there's only one alive. That one is the winner. It's a really interesting book with good interaction between the characters.

[Screwston]

Great recommendation Neil!! You should check out The Bachman Books which has 4 stories (including The Long Walk) written by Richard Bachman aka Stephen King. I've read the whole thing about 6 times and still love it.



I'm not a big fan of fiction either. I don't read as much as I used to, but I usually go for non fiction crime or war novels.

[Moma]

(09-17-2012 04:45 PM)Roosh Wrote:  

The big problem with fiction, at least current fiction, is that they are written by people without much life experience, so the characters are not believable. Fiction is getting harder to stomach as I get older. Immediately there is a scene that just wouldn't happen in real life.

I thought fiction was supposed to be non believable?

[Doctor]

Good fiction is a little more difficult to find these days.

David Foster Wallace is probably one of my favorite authors. He has written both fiction and non-fiction (essay type pieces). He is best known for his book "Infinite Jest" the mammoth 1000+ page novel with like 300 pages of footnotes. Intricate story with crazy character development, but his fiction is definitely not for everybody. It can be a bit abstract. His non-fiction essay "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again" is a phenomenal piece of writing. You would never have thought a piece of writing on a cruise ship would be so interesting. Although if you are looking for "alpha" writers and stories, he may not be for you. Despite that his personal story is pretty interesting.

Jonathan Franzen has written some very good stuff too. He is pretty liberal so if you're a republican you may take a pass.

Umberto Eco is a historical fiction type of writer. He is a crazy smart dude and his books are a tougher read.

I haven't read any Thomas Pyncheon yet, but I have heard his stuff is pretty good. I have a couple of his books on my shelf I haven't gotten to yet.

If you are looking for short collections of writings there is a series called "The Best American Non-Required Reading" that is put out every year. They have a bunch of different categories for literature, travel, non-fiction, etc. Some stuff is good, others aren't. It does give a variety of essays on a variety of topics.

I thought "The Alchemist" was a bit over rated. It is a good, short read, but I got turned off when too many girls described it as life changing. Also his latest book "Aleph" I think it was called was a bit out there. Kind of makes me think he is slightly crazy and not in an entirely good way.

This isn't a fiction book, but "Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers" was very good. I read it a while back and I don't think I've seen it recommended on here. Goes into stress and the effects and why we should avoid it and where it comes from and stuff like that. Science and whatnot.

[Alpha Mind]

There are thousands of great fiction books. New fiction is mostly trash.

If you want to read real literature, dive into Nabokov. Sure, there are others, but few can hang at that level. Lolita is an easy place to start. From there, move to Pale Fire--999 lines of ridiculously badass poetry (and I don't like most poetry) and the subsequent literary critiques, all written by Nabokov himself.

Brilliant.

[TheBulldozer]

I've read "The Alchemist" five or six times. I've gleaned something different from it each time. When in doubt, I read, re-read, and re-read it again. It's pushed me time and again in different ways, in all walks of life.

[Malekhit]

For me one of best series of fiction is about brothers Majere
series starts from Soulforge


also I like R.A. Salvatore The Dark Elf Trilogy


these books are a bit old school from 90's but its classic and its great one on top of it.