i haven't read for fun since 9th grade and i want to get back into it, but every suggestion i get is watered down because people assume im an idiot who cant comprehend literature because i dont read regularly
theres no way to word this with out sounding fake or pretentious but im 19 my iq is 140 and my lexile score for reading comprehension is the max score of 1700+ im not a genius but its extremely frustrating asking librarians for book suggestions and getting nothing but "Young adult fiction"
please rec me some books that you think are intelligent but could be relevant or meaningful to someone my age
Thanks in advance
The Stranger & The Metamorphosis should be a decent "literary" starterpack
If you want something more jumpy check out Dune
>>7719813
thanks for the suggestion i appreciate it
>>7719820
No problem dude, have fun. Do check out the sticky's recommendation stuff when you have the time, lots of good stuff in there too.
I remember appreciating post-modern fiction when I was 19. Mind you, not stuff like Pynchon or Barth, Barthelme, etc., these are way too convoluted and/or boring. But almost anything by the recently deceased Umberto Eco is a fun read, Foucault's Pendulum was my favourite, but maybe start with The Name of the Rose, if you hadn't seen the film already. Also Italo Calvino, some John Fowles.
>>7719806
use the sticky
>>7719806
Crime and punishment
>>7719806
Seneca
>>7719806
well stop asking librarians. Ask pretentious people on the internet instead.
>>7720014
that would be why im here
>>7719806
White Noise by Don Delillo
>>7719966
an absolute must and a classic masterpiece everyone should read. I can suggest also something from Luigi Pirandello, like "One, No One and One Hundred Thousand", "Picture of Dorian Gray", "The End of Eternity" by Asimov and "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". If you don't like science fiction at all, skip the last 2.
picture of dorian gray is obviously by Oscar Wilde, I mistyped the comma there.
>>7719806
Whether you're affecting or not, Infinite Jest was written exactly for you.
>>7719806
For someone who's apparently in the absolute top echelon of IQ, it's pretty fucking retarded that you didn't just ask the librarians for a recommendation of more challenging literature, or couldn't find any of the literally hundreds of guides dedicated to helping people like you that float around here and the rest of the internet.
>>7720080
1) old ladys are extremely patronizing
2) why search the internet when i can post a thread in two seconds and let the internet search for me?
>>7720098
Where the hell do you live that most of your librarians are old ladies? And from my experience, no, they're not, you ask them for a recommendation, and then they give you some, at which point you say if you're interested or not.
Because it's literally in the sticky, you mong, and you'll still have to do your own research to find more books after you read the ones in the thread.
>>7720135
upstate new york every librarian in my town is a 60+ year old lady, heres how our conversation goes
i ask for a book recommendation
they list off one of the required reads for a 9th grader
i ask for something more challenging
they list off one of the required reads for a 12th grader.
i ask for something more challenging than that and they point me towards the young adult section and say ill have better luck looking through there.
the librarians in my town dont care about books they enjoy having a cozy job where they can sit, socialize, and relax with eachother.
and which situation sounds easier, flipping through a list of hundreds of books and researching every one, or researching 10 handpicked books chosen specifically for me
and once ive read these ill have a good starting point to search "books like X"
fuck flipping through the wiki, i much prefer an actual conversation with someone who put thought into a recommendation for me. its much more personal, it gets me interested in the book faster, and its less work
there is literally no negative for me
either recommend me a book, which by the way i would really appreciate, or go cry somewhere else
>>7719806
>my lexile score for reading comprehension is the max score of 1700
And yet you cannot read the fucking sticky
>>7720156
see above
>>7719806
Well, if you're so smart, why do you write like a retard? And I'm sure you won't need our help, since you're so smart.
>>7720160
So you blame other people for getting bad recs, but you don't want to put any effort researching on your own. Smart fucking tinking right there.
Anyways we can't have a recommendation thread for every lazy special snowflake like you without flooding the board, so check the wiki and fuck off.
>>7720154
So you ask for classics then, fucking obviously. And I don't believe you in the slightest that every single librarian is over 60, there's always plenty that are younger, with older ones being head librarians. You being autistic doesn't change the fact that there's always librarians that can guide you in the right direction, you simply have to ask the right questions.
And just so you know, those "handpicked books chosen specifically for you", are just books that are in the fucking sticky, and you would have found alongside literally hundreds of others separated into different genres, timeperiods and styles in there.
No-one's put any thought into these recommendations for you, don't delude yourself. It's the same answer they'd give everyone else who asked that question.
The fact that when people gave you bad recs, you decided to act like they're somehow shitty and lazy while also refusing to do your own research says a fucking lot, too.
>either recommend me a book, which by the way i would really appreciate, or go cry somewhere else
Are you actually autistic? I seriously can't believe that there are mature adults who talk like this.
You're talking like a retard, acting like a retard, are apparently too dumb to do your own research and not just act like an entitled fuck, while also boasting about how smart you are, and how young adult works are too simple for you. Stop acting like you somehow deserve any special treatment, and fuck off.
>>7720176
id have no problem with deleting this thread if a janitor or a mod asked me to
but for you anon i dont care. i hope you get angry everytime you scroll past it
>>7720166
im more of a math kind of guy, writing isnt my forte
and i said theres no way to say it without sounding pretentious, im not trying to act like a genius and im not trying to act special im just asking for book recommendations.
theres no need to try and belittle me anon
>>7720186
saying what kind of books have been advised to you that you found "too easy" would help. Also u should say what classics you read already. Doing that instead of posting your iq, no one gives a fuck about, could actually help the few interested in giving you recomendations.
>>7720179
>So you ask for classics then
im more into modern works
>I don't believe you in the slightest that every single librarian is over 60
its okay you dont have to, i dont need you to confirm the truth
>You being autistic
sweet buzzword but im not diagnosed with autism sorry
>librarians that can guide you in the right direction
only if they care about their jobs and take them seriously
>are just books that are in the fucking sticky
that were picked out by others for me
that makes them hand picked
>boasting about how smart you are
im actively trying not to do that, as i said theres no way to say it without sounding pretentious
>Stop acting like you somehow deserve any special treatment
i dont think i deserve any special treatment
>fuck off
lol no
>>7720198
first off i didnt mean the iq thing to brag i was just trying to give some reference
as for books ive really only ever read the required reading kind of books in highschool. like catcher in the rye, of mice and men to kill a mockingbird, lord of the flies, romeo and juliet, and the great gatsby
i dont remember much of what ive read recreationally because i stopped around highschool. but i know for a fact all the harry potters, hatchet, the giver, among the hidden, go ask alice, and looking for alaska.
i really just want to get into some more obscure challenging modern works
>>7720206
>im more into modern works
So then what you wanted would either be in the adult fiction section, or the young adult fiction section you idiot.
>sweet buzzword but im not diagnosed with autism sorry
Being autistic =/= being clinically diagnosed with autism in this context.
>only if they care about their jobs and take them seriously
So you're telling me there's not a single librarian in the entire new york region that cares about their job? Fuck off, I live in a tiny town and literally every single one bar maybe one or two people who work there are incredibly passionate about literature.
>that were picked out by others for me
>that makes them hand picked
So then the sticky is also handpicked, as it has a collection of texts that are picked out for people like you.
>im actively trying not to do that, as i said theres no way to say it without sounding pretentious
Gee, I dunno, not bringing it up at all maybe? Your IQ means fuck all about your ability to appreciate literature, nor does your lexile score. If you've not read a lot, you need to be reading more basics, because the words in the higher level books won't mean anything to you, or make any sense. No-one will ever need to know your IQ. Period.
>i dont think i deserve any special treatment
By posting this thread, you're proving that you believe the opposite to what you're saying. The sticky is there for beginners, yet you believe that you're so special (supported by your mentioning of IQ) that you should get recommendations handpicked for you simply by virtue of you posting here.
Are you writing like a retard on purpose, by the way? Chuck some capital letters in sometimes, holy shit.
>>7719806
If you want a challenge that's a little bit obscure, I would suggest Ranger's Apprentice to someone with your literary experience and intelligence.
>>7720229
Actually, you know what, it's not worth getting into a huge fucking internet fight over this inconsequential shit.
You should really read the sticky though, it's absolutely the best source out there for finding books, and it's going to give you better info than anyone else here can.
I'd recommend reading Orwell's stuff, it sounds right up your alley, but you under no circumstances should try to read books because they're obscure. Read the mainstream classics (classics doesn't mean old) first, and slowly start to ease yourself into heavier, more challenging texts. Because if you just jump right in, it won't make any sense to you, it'll seem dry and boring, and you'll give up on them within the first 50 pages.
Here's a pic of some stuff that might interest you.
Apologies for being a cunt in my other posts my man, that was uncalled for on my part.
But in the future, do read the sticky of a board before you post, they're generally really great resources, and easy to navigate.
>>7720247
Fucking beta male, you were right to ridicule this arrogant whelp. Humility and modesty are lacking in the youth of today and you would do well not to exacerbate the problem by accepting arrogance from the likes of him. Grow a spine you gutless lapdog.
>>7720229
>Being autistic =/= being clinically diagnosed with autism in this context.
iknow what the insult means on 4chan but its more fun to shut it out like that
>>7720229
>So you're telling me there's not a single librarian in the entire new york region that cares about their job?
im telling you theres not a single one of the 5 in my extremely small town out in the middle of nowhere. and im not driving long distance for book recs when i could come here
>>7720229
>people who work there are incredibly passionate about literature.
good for you, not everyone can be as lucky to have good librarians who are passionate about their job.
check your skilled librarian privilege
>>7720229
>So then the sticky is also handpicked
but its not delivered to me in as personal of a method as this is, as i said before
>>7720229
>Your IQ means fuck all about your ability to appreciate literature, nor does your lexile score
i was trying to give a reference point for my reading comprehension. which does make a huge difference in the books im capable of reading. also the lexile test is a vocabulary based reading comp. test which does show you that i can read "the words in the higher level books"
>>7720229
>that you should get recommendations handpicked
i dont, i figured it was worth a shot because im lazy, i expected nothing
>>7720229
>Chuck some capital letters in sometimes
why would i bother? who cares for proper punctuation and capitalization when im on an anonymous imageboard where everything itype will get deleted within a day. i have no one to impress
>>7720257
You're a special kind of stupid.
>>7720247
>I'd recommend reading Orwell's stuff
thanks for the recommendation i really appreciate it
>start to ease yourself into heavier, more challenging texts
i appreciate the advice but i dont have any issues with challenging texts, im capable of reading anything besides the most extremes
>Apologies for being a cunt in my other posts my man, that was uncalled for on my part
dont even worry about it were on 4chan, id be surprised if someone didnt say OP was an autistic retard
>>7720257
You're so retarded that there's no point in explaining you how dumb you are
>>7720269
aww dont give up like that this is fun
>>7720256
I'm sorry, please don't beat me up Mr Cool and Tough Internet Warrior.
But seriously, he's being an idiot, but there was no reason for me to go off into an autistic rant about it, just put me in a shit mood and kept the general post quality lower.
>>7720257
I'm not in the mood for arguing shit any more, but really, trust me, your IQ test or lexile test will not allow you to just jump into high end literature and enjoy it. The wording used reads like a different language to people who're unfamiliar with it, and it's even classified as such in the really much older ones, words don't even exist anymore in them.
And that's ignoring the themes, which you'll need a lot more education to be able to really understand well, let alone get enjoyment from without every page feeling like an analytical study.
Just trust me on this, I've done well in all of those sorts of tests I've ever had to do in psychologists offices in my life, and it doesn't help at all in that sort of high level stuff, it's just completely irrelevant.
Reading is a skill the same as any other. You wouldn't start playing guitar by covering Steve Vai's stuff, no matter how dextrous you'd been as a kid, you'd start with the basics and build up over time. Same goes here. Develop your skill level with it, and you'll enjoy the stuff you read much more.
>>7720267
>i dont have any issues with challenging texts, im capable of reading anything besides the most extremes
You might think this way, but books go from "This is easy, I can 100% understand this" to "This makes no fucking sense, I don't know any of these words (not because they're big words, because they're words from 100+ years ago or slang in other cultures that don't exist anymore) and this book is boring" very, very quickly.
If you just want a challenging read, read some entry level philosophy, Ethics by Aristotle or Republic by Plato is a good starting point. Thought provoking enough, but definitely accessible.
>>7719806
Your first problem is thinking the books suggested for you lack intelligence. I guarantee you could walk into a bookstore, pick an isle you like and blindly choose a single book. Find the first book if it's a series, and you will enjoy it. There are some shit books out there that may grate you the wrong way, but these are usually hard to detect without reading the book.
If you want a hand picked selection to make your first time feel meaningful or special, based on your criteria of: Intelligent, modern, and relevant & meaningful to your age group; I can offer a few suggestions.
Don't bother reading any philosophy text. Anything modern will be too hard for you to understand (based on Kant and Hume), anything you could understand will be too old and not very meaningful (Descartes and Plato Republic, etc.).
Fiction is rarely intelligent in the sense of enlightenment and learning, and when it is you need to read a lot of filler to get to it.
If you want to enjoy a book rather than learn from it, I would suggest Steven Erikson Malazan book of the Fallen. He incorporates philosophy, morality, and mortality with the usual exciting fantasy stuff, such as bad-ass gods, insolent mortals, and some of the greatest battles and duels i have ever read.
It's fairly obscure being a hidden gem in the whirlpool of Tolkien wannabees. Many can't be bothered to read it because it's too complex in terms characters and what's going on. It throws you in the deep end unlike the generic hobbit/farm boy leaves home on a dire quest or whatever. So it's challenging in that regard, as you're constantly trying to decode what the fuck is going on; why this evil guy is suddenly good.
Modern in the sense that it is the new style of fantasy.
Relevant to your age group, yeah I was reading this stuff from grade 4 to university. It's also kinda dark, and since you're on 4chan this will be more to your taste. You will get little satisfaction from a moralistic white knight like Drizzt Do'Urden.
You want the cream, this is it. If you don't like or enjoy it, you might want to go back to browsing 'young adult fiction'. Can't handle a 10 book series? Your reading ability is probably worse than mine when I was 13 because you haven't actually read books. If that's the case I suggest starting with 'young adult fiction'.
Since you didn't bother to mention a genre this is all you get.
>>7719813
>not reading the metamorphosis your first time in the original latin
It's like you want to make him a plebeian. :^)
>>7720154
Well shit, it still doesn't change the fact that you're an illiterate plebeian who is not able to punctuate properly.
>>7720490
>illiterate plebeian who is not able to punctuate properly
ill give you pleb in regards to literature but im far from illiterate and im choosing not to bother using punctuation correctly because im not trying to impress anyone on 4chan
>>7720069
This.
Its not a difficult read but you'll probably find it relatable if a little tedious at times.
OP, you're being an idiot, but my kind of idiot.
Read Doctor Faustus by Thomas Mann. If I had to think of an intelligent book, this would come to my mind.maybe The Magic Mountain is similar, I haven't read that
I recommend Catch-22 by Heller as well, one of my favourites. It's in the starter kit, yet not simple ad all, I laughed loudly many times, yet it's a tragic book. By some strange instinct, I think you'll like it.
