Please recommend me some books to buy

[Futility Personified]

In the latest efficiency drive for cultural creation here at Heinous Bifter. Inc, we are desiring to read not 1, not 2, neither 3 nor 4 but 5 books of an excellent quality for artistic insemination.

The first is Brave New World, because i've been wanting to read it for ages and I've decided money is for spending, not for paying back to creditors.

I'm looking for recommendations and brief summations of what these things constitute and why they are worth reading. I'd like to get 3 more novels and maybe 1 philosophical / political work (if someone could also point out which Kafka work is the best to read that'd be hunky dory), preferably with leftist tones but really, as long as they are damn good reads then that doesn't matter overtly.

I don't have specific likes as such but transgressive fiction is where I like to lay my head. Something thought provoking and a bit "woah man, gnarly," even if it is a ye olden book.

Cheers!

[Zukunftsmusik]

Something thought provoking and a bit "woah man, gnarly," even if it is a ye olden book.

Moby-Dick. Everyone should read that book.

[Anglo-Saxon Philistine]

Musil, The Man Without Qualities.

[Ethics Gradient, Traitor For All Ages]

Atta by Jarett Kobek

[Futility Personified]

Believe it or not, i bought all of them. 10 pouches of tobacco and 10 books in total to survive me through to new years.

[Lord Testicles]

Believe it or not, i bought all of them. 10 pouches of tobacco and 10 books in total to survive me through to new years.

Which books did you end up buying?

My late suggestion would be "Use of weapons by Iain M. Banks" if you've got a fiver to spare. It's a science fiction as opposed to a transgressive fiction but without giving away too much it was one of the few books which make me think "woah man, gnarly."

[Art Vandelay]

If you like transgressive fiction I'd suggest almost anything by Irvine Welsh, but in particular his trilogy (skagboys, trainspotting, porno). I've been reading a lot of his stuff lately, as well as some Bret Easton Ellis, who is pretty hit and miss in my opinion.

[Futility Personified]

Cheers Skins, thanks. I read the Wasp Factory at my friend's insistence a while back and I genuinely couldn't put it down. Started reading it and couldn't stop until 7 in the morning. Then the bastard knocked on my window to ask me what I was doing. Friendship is <3

I bought the Crow Road and enjoyed that wholeheartedly too, second hand about 4 months ago. I need to order my brother something for his birthday so I may as well spunk another £25 tomorrow. I'll buy your suggestion as well.

I ended up buying:

Ulysses, Atta, Heart of Darkness, The Idiot, The Essential Kafka, Moby Dick, The Man Without Qualities, Brave New World, Nausea. One short of ten, but I figure if I give it a good browse tomorrow then i'll be able to round it up to a nice 13 total. Probably far too much in one go, but spend it while you have it, right?

OBL / 9MM: Irvine Welsh is absolutely brilliant, though i've been told what happens in those 3. If there is anything to read aside from Filth that hits the high mark, feel free to suggest it, that's my kind of thing. The same goes for BEE, American Psycho was great (yeah I know only read the books that had film adaptions i'm a card carrying philistine) but if there is something additional you think that really sticks out, please let me know.

Thanks all!

[Lord Testicles]

Probably far too much in one go, but spend it while you have it, right?

Good thing about books is that it takes a couple of centuries for them to spoil so you can buy a load in one go and take your time with them. :)
A friend keeps insisting that I read The wasp factory as well, but I haven't got around to it yet.

[Brutus]

Acid house by Welsh is brill

[Os Cangaceiros]

"Where The Sea Breaks It's Back" by Corey Ford and "Cocaine: An Unauthorized Biography" by Dominic Streatfield were the last two books I read for pleasure, and I enjoyed them both very much. Neither are fiction but both are highly recommended.

[Slavic]

The Baroque Cycle by Neil Stephenson.

Its a three book series.

A fiction that manages to ram in
Natural Philosophy
Currency
French Banking/Debt
Calculus
Pirates
Romance
Sword Fighting
Naval Battles
Espionage
Royal Families

Spans from the early 17th Century to early 18th Century, and transverses from Spanish Mexico, to British India.

My favorite book.

[Trap Queen Voxxy]

South of the Pumphouse by les claypool.

+

The Great and Secret Show by Clive bark

+

Anything by Charles Dickens

[Chomskyan]

The Jungle, Upton Sinclair

[Art Vandelay]

HB, you ever read any Hubert Selby Jr? Am currently reading one of his books and if you like transgressive fiction, you'd probably enjoy his work.

[Prometeo liberado]

Lost Illusions by H. Jaques(pretty sure) for fun
Dance of he Dialectics, for study
Trinity by Leon Uriss, made me weep

[Art Vandelay]

Lost Illusions by H. Jaques(pretty sure) for fun
Dance of he Dialectics, for study

Dance of the Dialectic*....awesome book.

[Futility Personified]

HB, you ever read any Hubert Selby Jr? Am currently reading one of his books and if you like transgressive fiction, you'd probably enjoy his work.

Nah man, but I appreciate the heads-up. Keep the recommendations coming and after i've finished this batch (which is probably going to take a while) i'll pop back to this thread from the favourites bar and pop out another £50.