The Heaven of Mercury by Brad Watson
Beautiful story about a lifelong love that never was. Set in small-town Mississippi. Perfect dialogue. Very Southern.
Under the Frog by Tibor Fischer
Black comedy set in Hungary around the late 40s and 50s. Follows a gang of cut-ups that dodge the army by serving as the country's second-string basketball team. Hilarious and sad. An interesting look at communism in post-WWII Hungary. This one may take some work to get through, but it pays off.
The Sailor who Fell from Grace with the Sea by Yukio Mishima
I don't want to give anything away. A really good story, and a fast read.
Palladio by Jonathon Dee
Another one I don't want to say too much about -- mainly because there's so much going on. But advertising, love and redemption all play big roles. Top-notch writing.
Non-Fiction
Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden
I haven't seen the movie, but the book is great.
Home: A Short History of an Idea by Witold Rybczyski
Rybczyski tries to identify the point at which our concept of "home" emerged in history. Focuses on how the home was used socially and how that played into the design of dwellings and the technology in them.
The Book on the Bookshelf by Henry Petroski
Another excellent book about how things work. Petroski's got a whole bunch of these. I've only read this one. He looks at the transformation of books and bookshelves by social and technological forces.
How Buildings Learn by Stewart Brand
Brand looks at buildings and why some buildings last while others are razed. He looks at ways buildings have and can be adapted to support the needs of their users. He's also very critical of modern architecture's focus on creating structures that look good on magazine covers but fail to serve the needs of the people that use them (hence no people in those glossy photos of building facades). The book also has a great bibliography for further reading about architecture.
Slashdot Mirror
Here's a few that I've finished recently:
Fiction
The Heaven of Mercury by Brad Watson
Beautiful story about a lifelong love that never was. Set in small-town Mississippi. Perfect dialogue. Very Southern.
Under the Frog by Tibor Fischer
Black comedy set in Hungary around the late 40s and 50s. Follows a gang of cut-ups that dodge the army by serving as the country's second-string basketball team. Hilarious and sad. An interesting look at communism in post-WWII Hungary. This one may take some work to get through, but it pays off.
The Sailor who Fell from Grace with the Sea by Yukio Mishima
I don't want to give anything away. A really good story, and a fast read.
Palladio by Jonathon Dee
Another one I don't want to say too much about -- mainly because there's so much going on. But advertising, love and redemption all play big roles. Top-notch writing.
Non-Fiction
Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden
I haven't seen the movie, but the book is great.
Home: A Short History of an Idea by Witold Rybczyski
Rybczyski tries to identify the point at which our concept of "home" emerged in history. Focuses on how the home was used socially and how that played into the design of dwellings and the technology in them.
The Book on the Bookshelf by Henry Petroski
Another excellent book about how things work. Petroski's got a whole bunch of these. I've only read this one. He looks at the transformation of books and bookshelves by social and technological forces.
How Buildings Learn by Stewart Brand
Brand looks at buildings and why some buildings last while others are razed. He looks at ways buildings have and can be adapted to support the needs of their users. He's also very critical of modern architecture's focus on creating structures that look good on magazine covers but fail to serve the needs of the people that use them (hence no people in those glossy photos of building facades). The book also has a great bibliography for further reading about architecture.