BOOKS!

[Rei]

I'm surprised no one has started a topic on books yet.

As information gathering fiends, we should LOVE books. (or the internet... but books are still the best source out there... so if anything you find the books on the internet =/)

Anyway...
So what type of books do INTJ's read?
Fiction or non-fiction?
Genre? hum? (I'll totally laugh if someone starts talking about erotica)
Favorite authors?
Recommendations?

Yeah... I've been meaning to find some good historical fiction... so if anyone has suggestions fire away.

[Tarrick]

Yeah about starting this topic...

Anyways, I read a lot of things: SciFi, Mystery, Historical, Military...

For some books I would recommend...

Well, I don't know if this is really up your ally, but there's a series called the Assiti Shards Series (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.) by Eric Flint. It's about a town in Virginia that gets transported to Germany in the middle of the Thirty Year War. It's Alternate History, but it's really well done in my opinion.

More recommendations and lists will come later. After I can collect them all.

[Rei]

I'll check them out...

One thing about books is, I really judge them by their covers. If it doesn't look nice, I won't pick it up; so I sometimes have trouble picking the good/classic ones. So I've resorted to asking people for suggestions.

[Selly]

I love books. My mother used to ban me from reading when I got in trouble as a kid, and even now she still sighs when she find out that I'm still keeping books in my purse. :P

I mostly read fiction (unless it's history. I'll read just about anything historical).

Genres? Hmmm Fantasy, Science Fiction (Star Wars addiction ;D), and I'm just getting into historical fiction (for some reason it's hard for me to find them, but I guess it's because I don't know anyone who reads them).

Favorite authors: Tamora Pierce (I think I might be too old for her books but I don't care, I grew up with them), Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Elizabeth Kostova, Eugenia Semyonovna Ginzburg, Timothy Zahn...there are others but those are the ones off the top of my head.

I recommend Journey into the Whirlwind by Eugenia S. Ginzburg. It's not historical fiction, but it's still very good (it's her account of her time in the Russian camps under Stalin). Also if you don't mind Dracula, you might try Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian.

Tarrick, your recommendation sounds very interesting. I think I'll look into it....Once midterms are over... ;D

[Tarrick]

Tim Zahn rocks, Selly. But Star Wars died horribly during the Vong War. It really really did. Now the universe is just repeating a bitterly painful manner.

[wise]

Anyone know any good books with a time travel theme?

[Max T]

What type of books do INTJs read?
I only read non-fiction that offers real world application. These are exercise books (turning the pages on some is very strenuous), self-help and business books.

Anyone know any good books with a time travel theme?

... only with a subtle business theme attached:

Aswath Damodaran's Investment Valuation- it enables you to travel alongside a business 10 years into the future... then discount back the future cash flows to reach a company's true value!

Hamel and Prahalad's Competing for the Future is also recommended- the premise is that a business should shape the future, and thereby make rival offerings increasingly redundant.

In FutureShock (published 1970), futurologist Alvin Toffler describes a scenario when humans will become overwhelmed by too much change in too short a time period (think of the last 4 years of technological developments- human's clock speed cannot take much more).

Finally, Hamels' Leading the Revolution- this is a must read for INTJs: you get to be the revolutionary who creates new business models and smash conventional industry thinking, all laid out in a logical, systematic manner.

[wise]

What type of books do INTJs read?
I only read non-fiction that offers real world application. These are exercise books (turning the pages on some is very strenuous), self-help and business books.

Anyone know any good books with a time travel theme?

... only with a subtle business theme attached:

Aswath Damodaran's Investment Valuation- it enables you to travel alongside a business 10 years into the future... then discount back the future cash flows to reach a company's true value!

Hamel and Prahalad's Competing for the Future is also recommended- the premise is that a business should shape the future, and thereby make rival offerings increasingly redundant.

In FutureShock (published 1970), futurologist Alvin Toffler describes a scenario when humans will become overwhelmed by too much change in too short a time period (think of the last 4 years of technological developments- human's clock speed cannot take much more).

Finally, Hamels' Leading the Revolution- this is a must read for INTJs: you get to be the revolutionary who creates new business models and smash conventional industry thinking, all laid out in a logical, systematic manner.


Business time travel? This is different than what I was thinking, but EXCELLENT and intriguing suggestions.

I've always been interested in time travel themes. Of course this is found usually in fantasy novels/movies. In relation to business, it definitely pertains to forward thinking, which is of course an INTJ classic trait.

[Rei]

I love books. My mother used to ban me from reading when I got in trouble as a kid, and even now she still sighs when she find out that I'm still keeping books in my purse. *:P

...

Favorite authors: Tamora Pierce (I think I might be too old for her books but I don't care, I grew up with them), Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Elizabeth Kostova, Eugenia Semyonovna Ginzburg, Timothy Zahn...there are others but those are the ones off the top of my head.


I got into reading young too. *I used to bring books everywhere I went (I still do, but I produce them from my bag less often now). *When the book is especially interesting I would read it whenever my eyes/brain was not otherwise occupied (eg, walking home, eating meals etc)

I read a lot of reference books when I'm in between good novels. *Usually travel/nature/architecture&design/psych. *I have this wierd interest in bird watching *:-/

Tamora Pierce was my 'childhood/early teen" favorite too. *I like her Tortallian quartets more than the circle of magic though. *I'm almost embarassed to admit that I'm still reading her stuff... I have yet to pick up her new book Terrier.
I should pick up Jane Austen. *The classics I always feel like I shoud read, but never get around to doing it.

I recently read Kostova's The Historian and I was absolutely obsessed with it.

Another great author (of fantasy/science fiction) in my opinion is Garth Nix. I read his Old Kingdom series. He has a great way of creating an alternate world within the one we are familiar with.
I also recently found Alison Croggon who's a poet, but has published 3 very good novels (part of a 4-book trilogy). *The story itself is typical of fantasy (like LOTR), but I think this one (it's characters too) is very well developed.

[Tarrick]

Okay some books!

The War God Series (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.) by David Weber. Fantasy, but very interesting characters and some very funny dialogue.

Some books by "Doc" Travis S. Taylor (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.). I've read Warp Speed and Quantum Continuum, as well as Von Neumann's War. Very good science war books.

The March Upcountry Series (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.) by David Weber and John Ringo are also very good. A Prince of the Earth Empire is stranded on a backwater, primitive, planet with his bodyguard unit during a coup. And they have to march halfway around it to get to the spaceport or die trying.

More later.

[Firelie]

George RR Martin
Martha Wells
Kristen Britain
Cecilia Dart-Thornton
Sarah Monette
Diana Marcellas
Peter David
Mercedes Lackey
Sara Douglass

I read for pleasure. It's all fantasy.

[Rei]

Hum... I would have thought that INTJ's don't generally read fantasy. Looks like I have been mistaken... and is not alone :D

I've been trying to wean off the fantasy... but it's hard to find anything else very interesting. I mean, as if I don't see enough drama in every day life that I have to READ more of it.

[Max T]

One book I recommend you to consider is "The Speed Reading Book" by Tony Buzan.

Teaches you how to read anything in say 1/5the the current time it takes, and you still retain the whole meaning and enjoyment. In fact more of the meaning is retained, since your eyes are trained to take in text information at close to the rate that the brain can interpret it. Currently most of us read at 200- 500 words per minute (we're taught at school to read slowly and carefully- bad stuff)- this book gets you to 1000- 5000 word/ min.

[Rei]

One book I recommend you to consider is "The Speed Reading Book" by Tony Buzan.

Teaches you how to read anything in say 1/5the the current time it takes, and you still retain the whole meaning and enjoyment. * In fact more of the meaning is retained, since your eyes are trained to take in text information at close to the rate that the brain can interpret it. * Currently most of us read at 200- 500 words per minute (we're taught at school to read slowly and carefully- bad stuff)- this book gets you to 1000- 5000 word/ min.



Well the speed of reading really depends on how well it's written. *I have trouble with really long sentences that seem to be conveying a gazillion ideas together. *(Ancient Greek philosophy -perhaps simply b/c it's badly translated-, Medieval Laws etc)

If the book is really interesting, I get pretty fast and still capable of remembering the small details. *Sadly I couldn't say the same about my textbooks.

However, I'll check it out. It sounds interesting

[TeleportThis]

I read a lot of science fiction and some fantasy. I also try read a lot of classic literature (by this I mean the books on the 100 greatest books lists and stuff like that). I hardly ever read nonfiction, unless it is about science, math, or technology.


Some favorites are:
Catch-22
Ender's Game
Illusions
Hyperion
1984
Slaughterhouse-V
Animal Farm

[Tarrick]

Yes, Teleport, the Ender's Saga, as well as the Ender's Shadow Saga are both very good. :thumbsup:

[Firelie]

Hum... I would have thought that INTJ's don't generally read fantasy. *Looks like I have been mistaken... and is not alone *:D


We're supposed to be more scientifically-minded as well, but I don't seem to follow that path either. :shhh:

[Tarrick]

Hum... I would have thought that INTJ's don't generally read fantasy. Looks like I have been mistaken... and is not alone :D


We're supposed to be more scientifically-minded as well, but I don't seem to follow that path either. :shhh:


My my. So what path are you specced in?

[bikerscars]

i just don't find reading fiction a practical use of my time;although i watch tv :suspicious:

nonfiction only for me;any topic has the potential to interest me-outdoor adventure is currently my favorite

[Rei]

That's funny...
I'd read tonnes of fiction over watching TV anytime.
The only things I ever watch on TV is random documentaries on the History/Discovery channels, and occasionally some sort of interior design show. I do induge myself in the occasional Grey's/Gilmore Girls though ::)

I think this needs a new topic...

[Dieter]

I usually find myself reading more non-fiction than fiction. Mostly about European history. But since school has started up again, I've only been reading textbooks or stuff online.

[Jbmontag]

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I read constantly. I'll read cereal boxes at breakfast if there is nothing else. Love the TV too. It usually stays on the news or one of the documentary channels...history, discovery, etc. I do have my fluff shows, mainly scifi topics or comedy. If I were a whore, I'd be strolling in front of Barnes&Nobles :o

[deicruxified]

some favs

1. the wheel of time - robert jordan ... the "shortest" i have read (sarcasm) yet beautifully crafted
2. the lord of the rings and the hobbit - tolkien ...the "liveliest" narrative (sarcasm)... tolkien is such a bore but my 'n' saved my ass for hours.
3. chronicles of narnia - lewis ... my n loves this book
4. diablo: legacy of blood - knaak - i have played this game now i'm reading it.
5. nietzsche books except for ecce homo
6. the name of the rose - eco
7. how to travel with a salmon - eco
8. siddharta - hesse
9. autobiography of a yogi - paramahansa yogananda ... is as good as fantasy
10. bagavhad gita
11. veronica decides to die - coelho
13. mein kampf - hitler... i can't believe i have this in my collection lol
14. lolita - nabokov
15. the prince - macchiavelli
16. eternal companion - bramananda

... strange... i'm having this urge to buy a new algebra book and study math again... and trigonometry lol

[thegnat]

I read all for pleasure - (except of course my textbooks - and even some of them I don't mind reading SOME I said...) - I am SUCH a book worm...I've read all 53 original Nancy Drews plus probably about 50-100 more. When I was younger my nose would be in a book a lot and people would have to get my attention somehow....

Anywho:
Mystery,
Non-Fiction,
Sci-Fi,
Fantasy,
Anything Else That Captures My Interest hehe

Examples:
Seabiscuit (and other race horse biographies) - Laura Hillenbrand
Lord of The Rings trilogy and The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
Harry Potters (though the last one disappointed me!) - JK Rowling
Sherlock Holmes mysteries! Sir Arthur Conan Doyle! (sorry for the excitement there but they are awesome!)
Marry Russel/Sherlock Holmes fictional! Again good books for mystery lovers....much less predictable than some mysteries.
I haven't read Next by Michael Crichton yet. I tried reading one of his books and I didn't really like it though. But I don't have much time to read :(
I want to read a book on Einstein.
Horse non-fiction - one of my favorites is on horse behavior.
Oh, The Life of Pi was a good book. I forget the author :\
The Alchemist
oooy I could probably go on forever....

Of my nerdier subset that I read for pleasure:
Books by Stephen Hawking.
Brian Greene: The Fabric of The Cosmos
(yes I read about astrophysics for pleasure...)
A book on Solar Energy/Hydrogen Economy/prospects for a cleaner planet! (much shorter than writing out the actual title and author hehe)

Edited to add: I can't forget Madeline L'Engle books from when I was younger I read all hers at least that were out....She was awesome - she was the first person I heard about mitochondria from.....you get science, adventure, AND really sweet science based fantasy...sigh..those were great....and the family was too, who couldn't love that nerdy family? They were awesome...Cooking food on the Bunsen burner? The dad being into the space/time continuum? What more could you want?

[generalowk]

I am currently reading Einstein by Walter Isaacson. Nine chapters into it, and it's pretty good. It's the first bio of him published since all his papers were made public.

[Epicurus]

Im currently reading 1984, wich so far is really interesting, Im around 1/5 through the book, so far a great book. Afterwards Im going to continue reading some book wich Plato authored, I just got bored of it funnily enough.

[Opti]

I haven't really read any books in such a long time.

Some Favs:
1984 (Orwell)
The Stranger (Camus)
Catcher in The Rye (Salinger)
The Queen & I (Sue Townsend) - Probably only the brits will know that one ... I found it hilarious.

[biased]

Philosophy, religion, psychology and anything that has connections to it.

People like Carl Jung and Goethe interest me a lot as it blends all three.

[OneBadMother]

I have a weakness for books with lyrical prose, like Midnight Children by Salman Rushdie, The Tin Drum by Gunther Grass, Ali and Nino by someone whose name I forget, and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Sometimes good writing can save a book with a not immediately interesting premise.

I also like the Robot series by Asimov and The Hitchhiker's Guide. A lot of the reading I do nowadays is on the computer or a little more technical, but every once in a while I pick up a good book. Sometimes I feel like I've run out of things to read, and I have a tendency not to immediately trust other peoples' book recommendations.

[Rei]

WHOOT!
HHGG!

[vulcan]

Douglas Adams
Phillip K. Dick
Bret Easton Ellis
Charles Bukowski
Chuck Palahniuk

I read Adams when I was younger and have since delved into the darker writers.

[ShaiGar]

Neil Gaiman
Terry Pratchett
Douglas Adams
Garth Ennis

too hard to pick

[Tuna]

Books... I can't live without them. I tell everyone that if they ever want to get me a gift, make it a book or a mix CD... both will be loved.

Anywho: I love distopian novels the absolute most. Thus some of my favorite titles are House Of The Scorpion, Uglies/Pretties/Specials trilogy, Hole In The Sky, etc.

[anara]

i like to read danielle steel.

[Bossy Mom]

Following are my favorite authors. The book list is too long!

Jane Austen
Charles Dickens
Stephen King
Dean Koontz
John Sandford
Edgar Allan Poe
Ayn Rand
Thomas Hardy
Joseph Conrad
Truman Capote
Bram Stoker
John Steinbeck
Larry McMurtry
J.R.R. Tolkien
Frank Herbert
Pearl Buck
The Bronte's
George Orwell
Kurt Vonnegut
Anais Nin
Voltaire (Candide)

I have a book going all the time. Currently I'm reading the Frankenstein books by Dean Koontz. I like Dean Koontz because he takes normal people in extreme situations who do the right thing.

[maai]

Free Sci-Fi Books
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Another good short book is :"Beyond Good and Evil" by F Nietzsche
Available free on project Gutenburg. Good reading source for classics.
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See how logic can be used for the wrong purpose. This guy must have been a dark side INTj.

[cielo market]

One of the (schoolage) books that comes to mind is Warriors Don't Cry- an autobiography by Melba Pattilllo Beals, one of the "Little Rock Nine" who were the first black students to participate in desegregation.

I also enjoy Max Shulman's sense of humor. My favorite is a short story from The Many Loves of Dobie Gilis, called "Love is a Fallacy". I think all INTJ's should read it. C'mon its really short!

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Read it! ;D

[HarleyQuinn]

I lean towards fictional horror myself but I've been known to enjoy non-fiction and historical fiction. Just ordered the 1st and 2nd books of "The Last Vampire" as I had 3-6 in my collection but not those 2 and had been looking for years.

My current favorites...
"The Last Vampire" (1-6) by Christopher Pike - To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
"Dead Witch Walking" (Rachel Morgan Series 1-5) by Kim Harrison - To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
"Haunted Ohio" (Non-Fiction ghost stories) by Chris Woodyard - To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
"Batman Adventures: Mad Love" (Comic) by Paul Dini - To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
"Vertical Run" by Joseph Garber - To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
"Candle Bay" by Tamara Thorne - To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

[logan235711]

mostly non-fiction, but in the end i suppose the traditional distinction of fiction/non-fiction is non-existent, so a silly notion to begin with

[Henry]

Philosophy, religion, psychology and anything that has connections to it.

People like Carl Jung and Goethe interest me a lot as it blends all three.

Joseph Campbell is exceptional and synthesizes a LOT of ideas into a coherent whole. *If you don't believe me, rent The Power of Myth.

Campbell is also an INTJ.

I can't read fiction anymore. I can't read business anymore either. Its basically philosophy, psychology, and some economics.

[qwerty]

I read my first Ayn Rand book today - Anthem (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.) (From project Gutenberg).

It was the first time I understood the character in such a book (seemed like Fahrenheit and 1984 both of which while good were lacking something).
If you have 30 mins to kill and dictactor (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.)(speed reading program) then you can knock it off quickly.

[phoenix]

some favs

1. the wheel of time - robert jordan ... the "shortest" i have read (sarcasm) yet beautifully crafted
2. the lord of the rings and the hobbit - tolkien ...the "liveliest" narrative (sarcasm)... tolkien is such a bore but my 'n' saved my ass for hours.
3. chronicles of narnia - lewis ... my n loves this book
4. diablo: legacy of blood - knaak - i have played this game now i'm reading it.
5. nietzsche books except for ecce homo
6. the name of the rose - eco
7. how to travel with a salmon - eco
8. siddharta - hesse
9. autobiography of a yogi - paramahansa yogananda ... is as good as fantasy
10. bagavhad gita
11. veronica decides to die - coelho
13. mein kampf - hitler... i can't believe i have this in my collection lol
14. lolita - nabokov
15. the prince - macchiavelli
16. eternal companion - bramananda


Ohhhh, another Umberto Eco fan. My fave of his is Foucalt's Pendulum. Definitely a worthy read.

I'm also a major Wiliam Gibson fan, though it seems he's having trouble recently on new storylines.

Douglas Adams, some of the most unique stories every told.

Finally, fantasy, yes...lots of fantasy. Love the Wheel of Time. Hopefully Jordan's wife and son will get the final one released now that the author is deceased.

[AJ]

As no one has mentioned it, Crime and Punishment by dostoevesky (sp?)
Go into the mind of one of the best INTJ genius/madman fictional characters, Raskolnikov.

Information of book:
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[HackerX]

Im currently reading 1984, wich so far is really interesting, Im around 1/5 through the book, so far a great book. Afterwards Im going to continue reading some book wich Plato authored, I just got bored of it funnily enough.

After you read this, pick up 1985 by Anthony Burgess (author of A Clockwork Orange). Skip the first half of the book, which is a narrative on 1984 (read if you think it will be interesting, but I got bored of it). Read the actually story at the end though. Puts a nice Burgess twist on distopia.

I am currently reading Gene Wolfe's Latro in the Mist (just started). His Book of the New Sun was one of the best series I've ever read.

[TruorTupnm]

Yay books! I read mostly science fiction as well as fantasy. Science fiction is more fun, though. Used to read a bunch of mystery, but that got boring. I have no particular non-fiction interests but am always browsing those sections, reading up whatever catches my eye. I grew up on mythologies, mostly, so that's always fun. I have read the odd classic and will probably get around to a few more. At the moment, I am attempting to find more Michael A. Stackpole books. I was introduced to him through Star Wars, which, yes, did die a tragic death with the New Jedi Order. All of his books seem to have some cool characters. Mayhaps not the I. N. T. J. type, but close and way more entertaining that your average heroes.

[bibliophile]

I'm surprised no one has started a topic on books yet.

As information gathering fiends, we should LOVE books. *(or the internet... but books are still the best source out there... so if anything you find the books on the internet =/)

Anyway...
So what type of books do INTJ's read?
Fiction or non-fiction?
Genre? hum? (I'll totally laugh if someone starts talking about erotica)
Favorite authors?
Recommendations?

Yeah... I've been meaning to find some good historical fiction... so if anyone has suggestions fire away.

I like fiction and non fiction. Fantasy, children's lit, and ya are my favorite genres, but I also enjoy poetry, historical fiction, the occasional sci-fi book, romances, theology, history, politics, gardening books with big glossy pictures, picture books like Angelina Ballerina and Mrs. Pig's Bulk Buy, literature proper (Shakespeare, Pope, Chaucer, Austen), mythology, books on the evolution of fashion...

Some of my favorite authors are Lois McMaster Bujold (fantasy and sci-fi), Georgette Heyer (mostly regency romances), Elizabeth Peters, Diana Wynne Jones (fantasy), and CS Lewis (mainly his works on theology and literature). I like Terry Pratchett and LM Montgomery very much too, but I can only take them in small doses. LMM has too many descriptions and Pratchett's heavy-handed with his morals in the later Discworld books.

[Deepdelver]

I prefer non-fiction. My mind wanders with fiction.

[radioactivez0r]

I tend to go through phases - on my bookshelf there's plenty of fantasy, sci-fi, animation books, classics, shakespeare, philosophy, ancient history...whatever happened to catch my fancy at the time. To be more specific, I love Orwell (vastly prefer Animal Farm, it may be my favorite book), Dumas, and Poe. The latter two have a way with words of which I am envious.

For example, on my last trip to Borders, oh how I loathe thee and your siren call, I got stuff on the Spartans, Celtic myths, Dante, ancient history, linguistics, Lovecraft, and some Dragonlance novels. I was going to make a separate post about Dragonlance and its ilk, but I can start here and maybe it will get its own topic :p

Are there any Dragonlance or Forgotten Realms fans here? My general understanding is that FR usually is looked down on by fantasy buffs, but I've read some good stuff, mostly by Ed Greenwood. I know Salvatore is the big draw, and I've read everything about his core group of characters, but I can't stand his narratives. Fortunately for him, the characters are interesting and he writes great battles. Re: Dragonlance, I randomly picked up the very first Chronicles book years ago at a library and got hooked, but didn't know they (Weis & Hickman) kept writing more after the first 3. Recently finished the War of Souls trilogy and just started the first book of the Lost Chronicles.

[AresX9]

I'm currently reading Old Man's War by John Scalzi: To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

from my local library. I also have a copy of Dune waiting to be read.

I mainly read military science fiction and general science fiction. Used to like a bit of Fantasy during middle school but not anymore.

Favorite authors are Eric Nylund, George Orwell, H.G. Wells, Tom Clancy, and Garth Ennis.

Oh, and I'm probably one of the biggest Punisher nuts you guys will find. I would read all of the classic comics if I had unlimited funds, yet this isn't a perfect world. So, I'm only limited to the collections being released.

[Wildflower]

Philosophy, religion, psychology and anything that has connections to it.

People like Carl Jung and Goethe interest me a lot as it blends all three.


I agree. I think William Blake does too.

Also Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival and as someone else already mentioned Joseph Campbell.

[elsdfr]

Soul Mountain by Gao Xingjian. Its about a dying man who goes on a quest for adventure and closure. I never knew a book could create such perfect images before this. It also won a Nobel Prize for Literature in 2000.

One Man's Bible also by Gao Xingjian. Only half way through it but I really like the style. Again its lots smaller stories giving a big general picture in the end :thumbsup:

[Diana]

MMmm bookss.... I've made it a personal goal to read through all the classics...

[INTJgal]

Best Recommendations:

*Slaughterhouse-Five

*Fifth Business

[amei]

My newest favorite author is Haruki Murakami - interesting characters, hard to explain plots that always keep you wondering & rereading parts, fascination with dreams & how life can be explained through dreams. Two of his best titles are The Wind Up Bird Chronicle and Kafka on the Shore.

[Theoden]

WHY has nobody mentioned Neal Stephenson yet?! He's the King of INTJ-centric hilarious historical fiction with a science fiction twist.
* Cryptonomicon (future)
* The Baroque Cycle (historical)
* Snow Crash (earlier work, future)

[AresX9]

I'm currently reading Old Man's War by John Scalzi: To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

from my local library. I also have a copy of Dune waiting to be read.

I mainly read military science fiction and general science fiction. Used to like a bit of Fantasy during middle school but not anymore.

Favorite authors are Eric Nylund, George Orwell, H.G. Wells, Tom Clancy, and Garth Ennis.

Oh, and I'm probably one of the biggest Punisher nuts you guys will find. I would read all of the classic comics if I had unlimited funds, yet this isn't a perfect world. So, I'm only limited to the collections being released.


I'll add to this post:

I also recommend The Ghost Brigades also by John Scalzi. This author has a fantastic universe with the Colonial Defense Force and human colonization. I'm currently reading the sequel to The Ghost Brigades and Old Man's War, called The Last Colony.

Dune is next, and that should be a splendid read.

[The Many]

I love reading, most often I will read either philosophical works (currently reading The Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper) or some classic literature such as Dostoyevsky, Wilde or Voltaire. In fact I just finished The Picture of Dorian Grey, which was absolutely brilliant.

Also I have decided to make it a tradition to read the something by every Nobel prize winner the year they win it (I started last year, but still), so I'll have to read something by Doris Lessing soon.

[Meyer]

Self-help, psychology, biographies, history, philosophy, and business books mostly.
The fiction books that I have read that stand out in my memory are
Pillars of The Earth
The Alchemist
Great Expectations
On the Road
Mutant Message From Down Under(although the author claims it was real)
Oliver Twist

When I was a kid I think I must have read ten-thousand Archie Comic books. Always had a crush on Betty Cooper:lovestruck:

As to the earlier post looking for a good book on Einstein. A somewhat interesting one was Einstien; Ideas and Opinions. This was basically a documentation of different correspondences Einstein had with various individuals regarding everything from his opinions on wealth to a need for a world govt. Interseting look inside his mind.

[intj808]

Being true to INTJ form, I normally read books relating to my interest - never complacent and always trying to perfect my craft. That would be books on web design, investing, real estate and fitness. Also do a lot of reading to keep up on sports. I don't do a whole lot of novel reading. I guess the type of reading I do is more "academic".

[Bear Warp]

I have a penchant for Sci-Fi and Dystopian novels.

I finished Dune Messiah not too long ago, and am currently speeding through Brave New World. Next is American Gods...then maybe Children of Dune...

[Capt57]

WHY has nobody mentioned Neal Stephenson yet?! He's the King of INTJ-centric hilarious historical fiction with a science fiction twist.
* Cryptonomicon (future)
* The Baroque Cycle (historical)
* Snow Crash (earlier work, future)


Snow Crash was great! I have Cryptonomicon waiting on the shelf.

I also like graphic novels, some favs are The Sandman, The Watchmen, Preacher

[Santana28]

i can't believe i'm going to admit this - but i Seriously dislike reading books. i simply can't force myself to read a work of fiction unless there is some sort of greater philosophical meaning behind it. i've actually read very little in my life - i'm only reading Ayn Rand for the first time now. i LOVE to read news articles and textbooks and am constantly on the internet reading...but books... i have to force myself.

one, i dont like clogging my brain with useless information. two, and more importantly - i feel like i need to learn various concepts and come to certain philosophical conclusions on my own terms... and that if i pick up a book detailing various things it will corrupt my line of thinking and give me an unearned victory... i know, it sounds silly. third - i have trouble reading. i dont know if it is my ADHD or something, but i simply can't concentrate. I have to re-read every sentence over and over again just to process it, and i have no patience. Certain books i can read without this issue - Ayn Rand, Nietzsche, Mein Kampf (yes, i own this too and it is a valuable book). Growing up, the Lord of the Flies was my favorite. I like reading up on religion and enjoy the gnostic texts... but other than that, i dont read. my library is small but precious.

[sriv]

So what type of books do INTJ's read?

Sci-Fi, Satire, Philosophy, Pop, Classics.

Fiction or non-fiction?

Right now I prefer fiction because of deep artificial symbolism. I am getting into non-fiction textbooks as of now.

Favorite authors?

Orson Scott Card, Sun Tzu, Nietzsche.

Recommendations?

The Prince, The Art of War, The Devil's Dictionary (a good satire for laughs), Ender's Game (and all sequels), and The Antichrist (my fav of Nietzsche)

[Coraline]

Neil Gaiman
Terry Pratchett
Douglas Adams
Garth Ennis

too hard to pick

I think this is the first time I've agreed with every word you said.
I also like Mike Carey's Felix Castor books
Orson Scott Card (except for the Endless Enders - the first one is brilliant)
Horror, some detective, some historical
Charels Williams
GormenGhast
Books about trees
Anything well written

[searcher]

Just books. Any books. (not erotica).
i don't care what genre but not erotica and not soppy.
Anything not set on earth is great. Or set on earth but in secret society type ways.

[cha071c0rd3r]

I know I saw Ayn Rand mentioned a couple of times here, but I just have to emphasize:

IMO, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged constitute the INTJ Bible in two parts.

[Motor Jax]

The Interpretation of Dream - Sigmund Freud

[acrossthefourthwall]

I'm an insatiable bibliophile. What I read is pretty evenly divided between fiction and non-fiction; I like general 'literary' fiction and sci-fi, but also memoir/biography, language/psychology, and pretty much anything else that catches my interest. Which is a lot. (Have to agree about time-travel; I'll pretty much read anything that involves it.)

Hum... I would have thought that INTJ's don't generally read fantasy. Looks like I have been mistaken... and is not alone

You know, when I was a kid, I pretty much never read fantasy; I didn't have any patience for the concept of magic. (This was especially true during my aspiring-engineer phase, incidentally.) It wasn't until I was 16 or 17 that I started to take an interest in mythology and fairy-tales, which I guess led into a somewhat more generalised interest in fantasy. It's still not a favourite genre of mine, but I've certainly come to appreciate it.

[Rowan]

Fiction or non-fiction?

I probably read more fiction, but I enjoy both.

Genre?

I have yet to find a genre I universally dislike; horror, fantasy, sci-fi, Bizarro, magical realism, regular realism, crime, thriller, nonsense, romance, historical, postmodern and so on; I have read and enjoyed them all.

Favorite authors?

The Marquis de Sade, Jorge Luis Borges, Bret Easton Ellis, Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, William Blake, Dante Alighieri, Ray Bradbury, Melvin Burgess, Albert Camus, Yukio Mishima, Edgar Allen Poe, Samuel Beckett, T.S. Eliot, Anton Chekhov, Katherine Mansfield, David Mitchell, William Shakespeare, HP Lovecraft, Jan Fortune-Wood, Tsugumi Ohba, Oscar Wilde, Kazuo Ishiguro, Philip Pullman, Anthony Burgess, George Orwell, Frank Herbert, Margaret Atwood, Raymond Carver, Tobias Wolff, Philip K. Dick, Angela Carter, Vladimir Nabokov and many more.

Recommendations?

Try Yukio Mishima’s Sea of Fertility tetralogy, which goes from 1912 to 1975. I think that qualifies as historical.





Rowan added to this post, 5 minutes and 57 seconds later...

I know I saw Ayn Rand mentioned a couple of times here, but I just have to emphasize:

IMO, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged constitute the INTJ Bible in two parts.

No offense, but I do not consider anything written by that homophobic, Dostoyevsky/Stirner wannabe my ‘bible’.

[Arcani]

I'm a fan of Fantasy and Sci-fi mostly, but modern fiction and classics as well. I'm not so much a fan of historical works or nonfiction but if it's well written I've been known to make exceptions.

I would recommend Dune, The Life of Pi, and 1984, since I've read them most recently.

My favorite authors are: Clive Cussler, Dean Koontz, James Patterson, George Orwell, Frank Herbert, R.A. Salvatore (definitely my favorite), Isaac Asimov, J.R.R. Tolkien, the list goes on...

[Roy G Biv]

IMO, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged constitute the INTJ Bible in two parts.

Scarfed one up in record time, but I could not get past 100 pages on the other.

I can't list authors or books because the list would be far too long. As for genres, I guess I am all over the place. I read whatever interests me (as long as it grabs my attention within the first few pages), and I sometimes have more than one book going:

Fiction (favorite genre)
Non-fiction
Adventure/disaster novels (people in peril, oh yeah!)
History
Philosophy
Technical books (computers, operating systems, etc.)

Currently reading Aristophanes.

[cha071c0rd3r]

No offense, but I do not consider anything written by that homophobic, Dostoyevsky/Stirner wannabe my ‘bible’.

None taken. :) A difference of tastes perhaps. I disagree with your comment, mainly because I do not believe in attaching such narrow labels to anyone, and much less if it is a person whom I did not personally know. I admire that Ayn Rand had made the "egoist" a hero, since that is very rarely the case, and it takes a lot of creative talent, IMO, to break from the stereotype that "pursuing one's own interests is bad" and that the "hero" should "always think of others' needs," and although personally I think that other people's needs should not necessarily be disregarded, a person's first duty is to him- or herself.

I am, however, curious to hear what it is specifically that you dislike about her writing.

[Rowan]

None taken. :) A difference of tastes perhaps.

I’m glad that you are so amicable.

I disagree with your comment, mainly because I do not believe in attaching such narrow labels to anyone, and much less if it is a person whom I did not personally know.

Her hatred of homosexuality was not covert or subtle; she claimed that it, ‘is immoral, and more than that; if you want my really sincere opinion, it’s disgusting.’ Her pilfering from Stirner was equally overt – just read ‘The Ego and Its Own’ to see how original her ideas were.

I admire that Ayn Rand had made the "egoist" a hero, since that is very rarely the case, and it takes a lot of creative talent, IMO, to break from the stereotype that "pursuing one's own interests is bad" and that the "hero" should "always think of others' needs,"[…]

As I was saying, her egoism was not particularly original; the only things she added to philosophical egoism was homophobia and a poorly thought out circular argument against David Hume’s is-ought argument allowing for so-called ‘ethical egoism’.

[…] although personally I think that other people's needs should not necessarily be disregarded, a person's first duty is to him- or herself.

I don’t see how you can justify the claim that we have a deontological obligation to anything, let alone ourselves. We are invariably egoists in the way Stirner described, but even here we are also invariably tied to other people to such an extent that it is often impossible to differentiate between helping ourselves and helping others.

I am, however, curious to hear what it is specifically that you dislike about her writing.

Her aesthetics are predicated on an instrumental view of art that ultimately leaves the finished pieces flat, propagandistic, overwritten and preachy. All her characters serve no other purpose than to illustrate her beliefs and are consequently one-dimensional; for example, Howard Roark is an Objectivist Fountainhead; Gail Wynand is a Nietzschean Übermensch; Peter Keating is an archetypal The Last Man and Ellsworth Toohey is Rand’s staple straw man socialist. Once you understand this you know everything you are ever going to know, which makes it boring. Finally, her complete rejection of naturalism leaves her art implausibly romanticised, which would be okay if she didn’t simultaneously attempt to locate her work within a plausible context.

[hongi]

On the go:

Orderly Chaos Chogyam Trungpa (Mandala Principle, Buddhist Philosophy)

A Civil Campaign Lois McMaster Bujold Science Fiction

Herb, The Vegetarian Dragon Jules Bass/Debbie Harter - bedtime story for 5 year old son . . . fun rereading all the stories from when I was his age

[Nanashi]

wow, my soul hasn't felt this excited and happy in a long time. Keep up with the suggestions.

[Marcus]

I was into science-fiction in my teens, and switched to fantasy books late high school/college. I also read a lot of books on history (and still do). I also like Historical fiction if it's written by Robert Graves.

Some books I remember to have liked:

Science-fiction:
Asimov: Foundation (only the first one!)

Fantasy:
Tolkien: LOTR, AD&D: Dragon Lance trilogy, Avatar trilogy

Historical fiction:
Graves: I, Claudius; Claudius the God and his Wife Messalina; The Golden Fleece

History:
Kissinger: Diplomacy
John Lukacs: The Last European War: September 1939–December 1941
Machiavelli: The Prince
Churchill: The Second World War

Fiction:
Orwell: 1984
Suskind: Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
Exupery: The Little Prince
Salinger: Catcher in the Rye
Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None (I did read the ending first and it was so exciting that I read the book overnight)

Biographical:
Feynman: "Surely, You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!"

[enfpchick]

Is it even possible for any INTJs to like romance novels???

[Metaphor]

One book I recommend you to consider is "The Speed Reading Book" by Tony Buzan.

Teaches you how to read anything in say 1/5the the current time it takes, and you still retain the whole meaning and enjoyment. In fact more of the meaning is retained, since your eyes are trained to take in text information at close to the rate that the brain can interpret it. Currently most of us read at 200- 500 words per minute (we're taught at school to read slowly and carefully- bad stuff)- this book gets you to 1000- 5000 word/ min.

Interesting! I want to check this one out... :)

[sriv]

Is it even possible for any INTJs to like romance novels???

I doubt it. They cannot begin to comprehend the depths of meaning in an old-fashioned romance. They start to have problems when a character acts too "stupid" or "makes the wrong decision" and then they get irritated. It's there for a reason INTJs! Not only to add drama, but to add nuance, stimulation, and feeling. :lovestruck:

[onlyparallel]

I doubt it. They cannot begin to comprehend the depths of meaning in an old-fashioned romance. They start to have problems when a character acts too "stupid" or "makes the wrong decision" and then they get irritated. It's there for a reason INTJs! Not only to add drama, but to add nuance, stimulation, and feeling. :lovestruck:

I love romance! There is an exception, no Romeo and Juliet type stuff. By this I mean there can be no shallow, five day old loves that lead to pasionate confessions of love and suicide. I honestly think Shakespeare was trying to teach us not to be like Romeo and Juliet. Not trying to show us a good example of deep and passionate never-ending love.

[stone22383]

I read. Love to read EVERYTHING.

I read The Last Lecture recently, very good book, and very sad.

I loved the Ender's Game series. I read and re-read these all the time (I have an autographed copy Orson Scott Card is an AWESOME human being).

I like George R R Martin's books. He makes you think a lot and there are a TON of plot twists.

CS Lewis is a great story teller.

Bible actually has some good stories. (I promise I am not religious, just a good read).

Wheel of Time (someone else mentioned).

I love sports and overcoming adversity so all the athletes and coaches out there that wrote books, thanks. Especially liked Jerry Rice and Lou Holtz's book.

Matt Christopher and R L Stine were my favorite authors as a kid (if any of you are trying to get the young ones to read).

Read a book called non-violence recently. It was actually pretty good.

I love reading about people who have fought in wars (another overcoming adversity theme, sue me).

What else?

Not too sure, I think I have gone on long enough. hahaha.

[sriv]

I loved the Ender's Game series. I read and re-read these all the time (I have an autographed copy Orson Scott Card is an AWESOME human being).


:suspicious: Are you precociously lucky? I have envy.

[Danisty]

For historical fiction, I really enjoyed Mary Renault's books about Alexander the Great.

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[stone22383]

:suspicious: Are you precociously lucky? I have envy.

Um, i guess you could say i am lucky. he came to a book signing here when magic street came out. we pulled up to the local joseph beth bookstore, and were dragging out all of our orson scott card books, when he walked up behind us and said "they wont let you in with all of those books." without turning around i said "that is crap, orson scott card is feaking amazing, an i need him to sign some of my books". imagine my shock when i tuned around and was staring orson scott card in the face!!!! he said he didnt think they would let us in with books we didnt purchase there, and he stayed outside with us and signed EVERY SINGLE book we brought. he wrote a personal message in EVERY SINGLE book we brought. he even spent time learning what majors we were and asking us about us. he gave my friend some tips on writing (my friend wants to be a sci-fi writer). it was just an all around awesome experience. he was a really awesome person that day.

anywho... just a cool story.


**edit** ps. i say awesome too much!!!! **edit**