Recommendations?

[Lumari]

Hi, all!    New to these forums.  Testimony is still in the works, but I'll get around to it.

 

I spent most of my life fairly sheltered, and I feel like I missed out on a lot of good stuff (a loooot).  I was hoping some of you could give me recommendations on some good books, movies and music.  Especially books and music.

 

   My favorite books tend to have some sort of sci-fi, fantasy, or spiritual element to them.  I've read the popular stuff (LotR, Harry Potter, etc), but I'm not as familiar with good secular authors, and I'm open to other genres.

 

  As for my own tastes in music, I'm not really sure, since I've only really listened to Christian music (except for that one short stint in HS when I listened to secular radio.  I was such a rebel!).  So pretend I've lived in a cave my whole life.  Mainstream or underground, old or new, I'm open to any suggestions.

 

  When it comes to movies and television, I was less restricted (why that is, I don't know), but I'd still like to hear recommendations from a different perspective.

 

What do you all like?

[mymistake]

George R. R. Martin's series a Song of Fire and Ice.  Read them in order starting with a Game of Thrones.  Spoiler alert: many of the characters will die.  Many, many characters.

[Lumari]

George R. R. Martin's series a Song of Fire and Ice.  Read them in order starting with a Game of Thrones.  Spoiler alert: many of the characters will die.  Many, many characters.

 

 This one is on my list of TV shows to watch.  Do you recommend that I read the books first or watch the show?

[mymistake]

 

George R. R. Martin's series a Song of Fire and Ice.  Read them in order starting with a Game of Thrones.  Spoiler alert: many of the characters will die.  Many, many characters.

 

 This one is on my list of TV shows to watch.  Do you recommend that I read the books first or watch the show?

 

 

 

I enjoy both but you have to keep in mind that a show and a book are going to be different stories.  One has unlimited imagination and the other has expensive actors.  The books are far more complicated.

[Lumari]

 

 

George R. R. Martin's series a Song of Fire and Ice.  Read them in order starting with a Game of Thrones.  Spoiler alert: many of the characters will die.  Many, many characters.

 

 This one is on my list of TV shows to watch.  Do you recommend that I read the books first or watch the show?

 

 

 

I enjoy both but you have to keep in mind that a show and a book are going to be different stories.  One has unlimited imagination and the other has expensive actors.  The books are far more complicated.

 

 

Good to know.  There was another book series that was made into a tv show where the show spoiled some of the later books in the first season, I wanted to make sure this wasn't similar.  Thanks for the suggestion.

 

 

Hope it's ok that I posted this here.  I was looking for some music to listen to while I browsed this forum, and I realized my whole collection is basically worship and christian alternative.  I was like, "Okay....now what?"

 

  I am currently listening to the soundtracks for my favorite Playstation RPGs.  I think its the only secular music I own. lol

[Guest Furball]

what is game of thrones about? is that the show with the white haired girl and the lp?

[mymistake]

what is game of thrones about? is that the show with the white haired girl and the lp?

 

 

Yes.  It's kind of a NC-17 version of Lord of the Rings.

[DragonTheDruid]

For music, you should check out Hozier! (You can find his album on youtube to listen to if you want)  On its surface, some of what he sings sounds xian or at least Catholic(like the song Take me to Church), but they have a whole lot of undertones that hints that he definitely isn't praising any supernatural god! Most if it's about relationships. I like his music because it's almost passive-aggressive towards religion and his voice is hella good.  'Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene', long title,  is my favourite song by him. It's about sex and/or drugs, so I guess you can't get much more 'secular' than that!  I also love Mumford and Sons (which has religious things in it I guess, but their music is still great!), Regina Spektor is weird as hell but I love her style. Of Monsters and Men is a good band too, very... Icelandic hippieish? 

 

Also Game of Thrones is amazing. I personally haven't read more than a couple chapters of the first book, only watched it, because I can't really focus on reading fictional prose very well, but it's got a great story and amazing characters! Lord Tyrion is my favourite =) 

[Ellinas]

Welcome.

 

I don't listen to much music - the occasional bit of Clannad, Mike Oldfield, Jean Michel Jarre and such like  Sometimes a bit of classical (quite like Wagner).

 

As to books - I tend to like the earlier fantasy stuff.  Edgar Allan Poe or H.P. Lovecraft.  Of modern stuff, I've read a bit of Peter Straub, but that's straying more into horror.

[disillusioned]

Read Patrick Rothfuss. Absolutely outstanding. In my opinion, he's the best fantasy author currently writing (although he writes painfully slowly). He also seems to be a really decent human being.

 

Some other fantasy authors that I really enjoy are Scott Lynch, Robin Hobb, Tad Williams, Joe Abercrombie, Brent Weeks, Brandon Sanderson, and GRRM. I've read a lot of fantasy over the past couple of decades (I used to work in a book store), and I'm always happy to talk about it if you want more information.

 

Chuck Palahniuk is always fun if you want something a little bleak and twisted. I also really enjoy Twain and Hemingway, but for different reasons.

 

As far as TV goes, Game of Thrones is good, but read the books first. I just recently watched Rome, and I thought it was fantastic. I'm currently watching Spartacus, and I'm enjoying it so far. Breaking Bad was great. The Wire was pure gold. House was fantastic, and Lost was all kinds of fun (the key with Lost is, you just have to embrace it).

 

Another show that I highly recommend is Black Mirror. It's not for everyone, but I think it's fantastic.

[Thrive]

For music I would recommend going to a site like Pandora and pick a genre that sounds interesting to you.  As you listen you can thumbs up or thumbs down the songs and Pandora will adjust what they play to fit what you like.  I've found a lot of new music that way.  It's free and you can try as many stations as you want.

 

For fantasy books I love Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series.  It's like LOTR but 10x better. It has the basic good vs evil theme with monsters and magic, but what gets me is the detail.  He creates an entire world with different cultures that all have their own backgrounds, beliefs, languages and even currency.  The series is ridiculously long but addicting.  Robert Jordan died before he could finish it, but his widow connected with a writer who was a longtime fan to finish the story.  The last 3 books are a mix of both authors but it was done well.

 

I tend to read more biographies and historical fiction, which could be a good place for you to open yourself up to other cultures.  Jeanette Walls, James McBride, and Margaret George are some of my favorite authors.

[WaitingInfinity]

I was formerly sheltered like you and when I deconverted, I had my boyfriend's help exposing me to secular culture. Here are my recommends.

 

If you like piano-driven rock/alternative music, go with Keane. You may have heard their song Somewhere Only We Know (my personal fav), but I also like Bend and Break, Leaving So Soon?, Crystal Ball, Sovereign Light Cafe, and The Starting Line. These were a lot of my favorite songs to listen to during and after my deconversion. Especially Crystal Ball.

 

You might also try The Postal Service's one album. That was some of the first secular music I listened to as well and it transitioned me into exploring Death Cab for Cutie's music. Vampire Weekend is awesome too. I love the song Unbelievers. So amazing. 

 

Also, Arcade Fire! They have a great song called Afterlife that talks a little about religion. Their music took me a while to get into after deconverting because the sound was so different. My tastes when I deconverted were very similar to the sounds of standard Christian music, but as time has gone by, I've changed tastes a lot. Look into St. Vincent, especially her newer album, for the songs Psychopath and I Prefer Your Love to Jesus. (I even like rap now, which is a complete 360 for me.)

 

Turning to pop, Katy Perry rocks my socks off.

 

In short, Keane, The Postal Service, Death Cab for Cutie, Vampire Weekend, Arcade Fire, St. Vincent, and Katy Perry.

[bdp]

[violetbutterfly]

I highly recommend the Outlander book series by Diana Gabaldon.

 

http://www.dianagabaldon.com/books/outlander-series/

[Lumari]

Thanks for the recommendations! Appreciate it.

 

For music, you should check out Hozier! (You can find his album on youtube to listen to if you want)  On its surface, some of what he sings sounds xian or at least Catholic(like the song Take me to Church), but they have a whole lot of undertones that hints that he definitely isn't praising any supernatural god! Most if it's about relationships. I like his music because it's almost passive-aggressive towards religion and his voice is hella good.  'Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene', long title,  is my favourite song by him. It's about sex and/or drugs, so I guess you can't get much more 'secular' than that!  I also love Mumford and Sons (which has religious things in it I guess, but their music is still great!), Regina Spektor is weird as hell but I love her style. Of Monsters and Men is a good band too, very... Icelandic hippieish?

 
 Saw a clip of Hozier on Hulu.  I do like the sound. I'll have to check out more of their songs. Thanks, Dragon!
 
 

As to books - I tend to like the earlier fantasy stuff. Edgar Allan Poe or H.P. Lovecraft. Of modern stuff, I've read a bit of Peter Straub, but that's straying more into horror.

 

Oh yeah, I actually got something last year by Poe that I've never read.  I'll have to figure out where I put it. lol.  I am less familiar with Lovecraft, but I've heard of him.  Adding to the list!

 

 

Read Patrick Rothfuss. Absolutely outstanding. In my opinion, he's the best fantasy author currently writing (although he writes painfully slowly). He also seems to be a really decent human being.
 
Some other fantasy authors that I really enjoy are Scott Lynch, Robin Hobb, Tad Williams, Joe Abercrombie, Brent Weeks, Brandon Sanderson, and GRRM. I've read a lot of fantasy over the past couple of decades (I used to work in a book store), and I'm always happy to talk about it if you want more information.
 
Chuck Palahniuk is always fun if you want something a little bleak and twisted. I also really enjoy Twain and Hemingway, but for different reasons.
 
As far as TV goes, Game of Thrones is good, but read the books first. I just recently watched Rome, and I thought it was fantastic. I'm currently watching Spartacus, and I'm enjoying it so far. Breaking Bad was great. The Wire was pure gold. House was fantastic, and Lost was all kinds of fun (the key with Lost is, you just have to embrace it).
 
Another show that I highly recommend is Black Mirror. It's not for everyone, but I think it's fantastic.

 

Awesome. Will definitely check these out. Thanks!

I really liked Lost, but it did start to drag a bit once I caught up with the episodes airing on TV. It's one of those shows that is better to watch on netflix or dvd at your own pace instead of 45 minutes/week, but definitely worth it. Never heard of Black Mirror, though.  Hopefully I can find it on netflix.

[Lumari]

For music I would recommend going to a site like Pandora and pick a genre that sounds interesting to you.  As you listen you can thumbs up or thumbs down the songs and Pandora will adjust what they play to fit what you like.  I've found a lot of new music that way.  It's free and you can try as many stations as you want.

 

For fantasy books I love Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series.  It's like LOTR but 10x better. It has the basic good vs evil theme with monsters and magic, but what gets me is the detail.  He creates an entire world with different cultures that all have their own backgrounds, beliefs, languages and even currency.  The series is ridiculously long but addicting.  Robert Jordan died before he could finish it, but his widow connected with a writer who was a longtime fan to finish the story.  The last 3 books are a mix of both authors but it was done well.

 

I tend to read more biographies and historical fiction, which could be a good place for you to open yourself up to other cultures.  Jeanette Walls, James McBride, and Margaret George are some of my favorite authors.

 

** I forgot about Pandora!

 

** You sold me on the Wheel of Time series. Sounds awesome.

 

** Last year, I started reading stuff by Shusaku Endo, a catholic Japanese author. I was curious about the perspective of Christianity from a country that is not predominately christian. His take on the gospels in Life of Jesus is interesting, but not something I'd recommend to a diehard biblical inerrancy christian. My mom got offended when I told her she wouldn't like it. Haha. Anyway, it was really eye-opening for me in my little bubble, even though I was reading something by another christian. Definitely interested in exploring more. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

 

 

I was formerly sheltered like you and when I deconverted, I had my boyfriend's help exposing me to secular culture. Here are my recommends.

 

If you like piano-driven rock/alternative music, go with Keane. You may have heard their song Somewhere Only We Know (my personal fav), but I also like Bend and Break, Leaving So Soon?, Crystal Ball, Sovereign Light Cafe, and The Starting Line. These were a lot of my favorite songs to listen to during and after my deconversion. Especially Crystal Ball.

 

You might also try The Postal Service's one album. That was some of the first secular music I listened to as well and it transitioned me into exploring Death Cab for Cutie's music. Vampire Weekend is awesome too. I love the song Unbelievers. So amazing. 

 

Also, Arcade Fire! They have a great song called Afterlife that talks a little about religion. Their music took me a while to get into after deconverting because the sound was so different. My tastes when I deconverted were very similar to the sounds of standard Christian music, but as time has gone by, I've changed tastes a lot. Look into St. Vincent, especially her newer album, for the songs Psychopath and I Prefer Your Love to Jesus. (I even like rap now, which is a complete 360 for me.)

 

Turning to pop, Katy Perry rocks my socks off.

 

In short, Keane, The Postal Service, Death Cab for Cutie, Vampire Weekend, Arcade Fire, St. Vincent, and Katy Perry.

 

Will check these out today.  Thanks!

 

 

 

[Lumari]

 

Interesting sound.  I like it. 

 

The style of this video reminds me of the nineties...

 

 

I highly recommend the Outlander book series by Diana Gabaldon.

 

http://www.dianagabaldon.com/books/outlander-series/

 

Sweeet! Definitely checking this out. 

[♦ Fuego ♦]

For music, I first went back to what I missed during high school - pop music of the 80s and heavy metal. Oddly enough I ended up mostly listening and singing Rat Pack era songs and old swing in jazz clubs... that was a big step for me, going into clubs and bars. Turns out they weren't so bad.

 

I devoured the Harry Potter books a bunch of times. So silly that I ever thought they were evil. I remember praying against them in a bookstore once.

 

Mostly I focused on what I had missed and checked things out.

[MightyLikely]

I have been ex-Christian for decades, and I still haven't caught up with all the music, books, and music I missed while they had me cocooned under a cabbage leaf. The world has produced a lot of music, literature and film, not to mention peculiar sayings that make no sense without being on board with television.  But at least it is fun TRYING to catch up.  That's what she said...

[sparklingphoenix]

I second the Pandora idea, I was coming on here to suggest that you use Pandora or Spotify to explore music you like. There is so much music out there and it's hard to make recommendations on what you might like solely based off of Christian music. The band Creed, which you may know, broke up and some  of the members formed another band called Alter Bridge. They are one of my favorite bands ever. 

 

Anywas, I like weird, dark, creepy stuff with a little R&B and electronic mixed in. I have no idea what that genre is called, but if you find that interesting, I have been listening to Purity Ring and Ghost Loft. If you put those names into Pandora you can find a lot of interesting artists similar to them. My other suggestion would just be to listen to the radio and when you hear a song you like, go on Pandora or Spotify and find similar artists. 

 

As for books, I need suggestions too haha. One of my favorite books from high school was Jane Eyre. I also really liked The Awakening by Kate Chopin. It's full of imagery. Both of these books are basically about women seeking freedom and independence.

[TheOutsider]

I like a lot of techno/electronica/trance/house, yes, I'm an uncultured swine, I know. But at least I don't like dubstep, for the most part.

Deadmau5 is probably my favorite lately, DJ Dean, DJ Tiesto, Alice Deejay, JES (only heard "as the rush comes", but that's because Motorcycle doesn't give many relevant results on youtube...), probably a bunch of others I'm forgetting.

Metal is nice, though I'm not often in the mood for it, Genitorturers - Lecher Bitch holds a special place in my memory (okay, who reinstalled VTM:Bloodlines?).

I also like a bunch of video game soundtrack stuff.

 

I've been reading H.P. Lovecraft lately, and I would highly recommend the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy trilogy, not really that big of a reader though. My brother would probably recommend The Wheel of Time, and you probably wouldn't go wrong with anything Brandon Sanderson has done either.

 

As for shows, I could regurgitate a bunch of titles if you would like. Firefly, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, The Blacklist, Grimm, The Big Bang Theory, Supernatural, Burn Notice, Person of Interest, Life, Arrested Development, Archer, House, The Walking Dead, Mash, Black Sails, Dexter, Backstrom, Adventure Time, Bravest Warriors, Invader Zim, I think I'm running out of stuff off the top of my head... Weeds, Trailer Park Boys, Orange is the new black, The Fall, Human Target, Futurama, I think I'll stop now... Oh, Jericho, that was good. Eureka, Fringe, okay, I'll really stop now... I forgot Scrubs... And Psyche...

 

For movies, I like Quentin Taranteno, Nick Cage is a not quite guilty pleasure, Sukiyaki Western Django, you have to watch that at least once. Same with Kung Pow: Enter the Fist. Starship Troopers, Tucker & dale Vs Evil, From Dusk Till Dawn. Bruce Cambell is also enjoyable.

 

Hope that was at least within the realm of useful. I know, I'm all over the place...

[Aiyana]

I'm currently reading the trilogy His Dark Materials, by Philip Pullman. They are amazing. If you like fantasy/sci-fi, I think you'll really enjoy them.

[sdelsolray]

Since you like sci-fi, a few suggestions are:

 

1)  Dune Series - Frank Herbert and his son (about 15 books)

2)  Robot, Empire and Foundation Series - Issac Asimov (about 15 books).

3)  The Known Universe books - Larry Niven (about 8 books).

 

An interesting point about the Dune novels is that religion is an integral part of the whole Series, and religion is put in a proper place within the Series.

 

An interesting point about the Robot, Empire and Foundation Series is that religion is not part of the story.

[TheBluegrassSkeptic]

My apologies if my suggestion are repeated, but I recommend anything written by Phillip K. Dick. I always enjoyed the Man In The High Castle, as well as  We Can Build You. VALIS is interesting as well since it explores gnostic Christianity in a scifi setting ahah

[offtheromanroad]

Hey there, may I ask what kind of Xian music you liked in case you were allowed to listen to any? This might help to recommend similar styles of music...

I am not into sci-fi, but I second the H. P. Lovecraft recommendation...