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andyp's avatar
18 years ago
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andyp
nothing is wrong - what are you scared of?
can someone point me to some good books? i just started reading more and i found that i really enjoy it.

i just finished "a million little pieces". very good book about this dude that goes through rehab from a drug and alcohol addiction.

help a brotha out
 
18 years ago
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dbrown
if you liked that you should consider "choke" by chuck pahlinuk *sp*.
also i'm a huge krakhauer *sp, again* fan. he wrote into the wild, into thin air, and eiger dreams. all about the edge of human existance, like going to alaska with a rifle, 10lbs of rice, and the clothes on his back to survive for 3 months.
andyp's avatar
18 years ago
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andyp
nothing is wrong - what are you scared of?
oh yeah i think we read part of into thin air in school. it was pretty good. thanks i'll check these out!
lucas's avatar
18 years ago
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lucas
i ❤ demo
chuck palahniuk, jon krakauer

tried any kurt vonnegut?

then get something like "the stranger" by albert camus.

or "me talk pretty one day" by david sedaris.
phi_'s avatar
18 years ago
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phi_
... and let the Earth be silent after ye.
"Choke" is by far my favorite Palahniuk book... followed by "Survivor" and "Invisible Monsters".

"The Time Travelers Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger.
"The Erasers" / "Two Novels (Jealousy & In the Labyrinth)" by Alain Robbe-Grillet.
"Madam Bovary" by Gustave Flaubert is probably my favorite book of all time.
"Perdido Street Station" by China Mieville.

That should tide you over for a while.
dannyp's avatar
18 years ago
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dannyp
dʎuuɐp
"The Crying of Lot 49" by Thomas Pynchon

suggested prior to reading TCRL49:
"Oedipus Rex / Oedipus the King / Oedipus at Colonus" - by Sophocles
"Courier's Tragedy" by Wharfinger
"Lolita" by Nabokov

Books with culture:
"Funny in Farsi" by FirooZeh DuMas
"Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston
"The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros
"Lakota Woman" by Mary Crow Dog
"I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

Poetry:
"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost - interesting to understand the truth of this poem.
"On First Looking into Chapman's Homer" by John Keats
asemisldkfj's avatar
18 years ago
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asemisldkfj
the law is no protection
Please please PLEASE read The Alienist by Caleb Carr. It's definitely my favorite book. SO good.
lucas's avatar
18 years ago
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lucas
i ❤ demo
homer - the iliad
homer - the odyssey

that'll keep you busy (sorry.. i just saw dannyp's sophocles entry)
andyp's avatar
18 years ago
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andyp
nothing is wrong - what are you scared of?
i've been reading some books by augustine burroughs lately and now jimmy santiago baca.. im in love with memoires right now and my list is running short!
dannyp's avatar
18 years ago
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dannyp
dʎuuɐp
"On the Road" Jack Kerouac

http://www.jackkerouac.com/about/index.php
lucas's avatar
18 years ago
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lucas
i ❤ demo
"on the road"

and i hate that book, officiallyt.
phi_'s avatar
18 years ago
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phi_
... and let the Earth be silent after ye.
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18 years ago
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dru
The Art of Subconscious Illusion
That book "a million little pieces." My mom was talking to me about that book a couple months ago. She said that the guy that wrote it came out later to be a fraud, the man had never been in rehad or done drugs. The book was distributed through-out rehad centers to kids for something to relate too in their experience. And it turned out to be a horrendous upset, epsecially for the people in rehad centers, since the guy never had a clue, what it was like being addicted to drugs, and going through rehad. They found out about this guy, by doing a background check, and later confessed to what he had done. Kinda crazy.
dannyp's avatar
18 years ago
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dannyp
dʎuuɐp
Yeah it was a big thing on Oprah dru, she had accepted the book to her book club and had him on her show. Later she got him back on there to lecture him about skewing the facts.
andyp's avatar
18 years ago
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andyp
nothing is wrong - what are you scared of?
yeah, i thought he did do the drugs and everything but just made up some of the stuff and did go to rehab.. i dunno though wasn't really paying attention. the book was very good though still.
phi_'s avatar
18 years ago
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phi_
... and let the Earth be silent after ye.
If it's that good, I don't see why it really matters if he skewed the facts. Maybe they shouldn't market it as his memoir, but as an autobiographical novel?
 
18 years ago
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dru
The Art of Subconscious Illusion
It doesn't matter if he skewed the facts. He said it was all about him, and his experiences, he lied, in front of nation wide TV in fact.
lucas's avatar
18 years ago
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lucas
i ❤ demo
who cares? if the book is good, it's good.
dannyp's avatar
18 years ago
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dannyp
dʎuuɐp
He should have put a caveat like, I think hemmingway did where he said if one would like to read as if fiction, they may.
andyp's avatar
18 years ago
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andyp
nothing is wrong - what are you scared of?
i think his publisher made him write a forward about his facts in the new books they are printing
dannyp's avatar
18 years ago
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dannyp
dʎuuɐp
http://whatshouldireadnext.com/ for more suggestions
phi_'s avatar
18 years ago
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phi_
... and let the Earth be silent after ye.
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DaGr8Gatzby's avatar
18 years ago
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DaGr8Gatzby
Drunk by Myself
it's a big deal to market something as a memoir vs. fiction
lucas's avatar
17 years ago
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lucas
i ❤ demo
just bought faust, the stranger, and beyond good and evil for my trip to alaska. i hope that's enough..
 
17 years ago
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Trent
scar tissue by anthony kedis
nestor's avatar
17 years ago
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nestor
nestor
i just read siddhartha- it was okay. magister ludi next. also trying to learn basic arabic- i'll probably just end up knowing the orthography but that is fun too.
phi_'s avatar
17 years ago
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phi_
... and let the Earth be silent after ye.
I'm devouring "Modernist Montage: The Obscurity of Vision in Cinema and Literature". Amazing stuff...
lucas's avatar
17 years ago
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lucas
i ❤ demo
faust by goethe (tr. by kaufmann) was pretty good. i can't have complete appreciation because:
a. i didn't read it in german
b. i lack knowledge of all the biblical references
c. i lack a fair amount of literary background

i re-read catcher in the rye by j. d. salinger. i love that book. it almost made me cry three times.

i've gotten a start on bge (beyond good and evil by nietzsche, tr. by kaufmann). i like it. nietzsche presented his philosophy primarily in two forms: his zarathustra and bge. the former is just a very odd story loaded up with symbolism--very cryptic. yet the latter book is fairly (if not very) systematic, with some aphorisms and wit added in. i love its style.

unfortunately, as kaufmann notes in the preface, nietzsche dogs on women, as always. so that kinda gets old. otherwise, it's a very likable book and philosophy.
nny's avatar
17 years ago
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nny
M̮͈̣̙̰̝̃̿̎̍ͬa͉̭̥͓ț̘ͯ̈́t̬̻͖̰̞͎ͤ̇ ̈̚J̹͎̿̾ȏ̞̫͈y̭̺ͭc̦̹̟̦̭̫͊̿ͩeͥ̌̾̓ͨ
Just finished "Bad Monkeys" cool looking, and it had a quote from niel stephenson of cryptonomicon fame on it. So I read it. Fun read. Highly recommended.
phi_'s avatar
17 years ago
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phi_
... and let the Earth be silent after ye.
Just read a book of three plays by Luigi Pirandello. Meh. All theatre stuff is pretentious in the same way. Well, not all ... just apparently everything I've read. *shrug*

Reading Swan Song by Robert McCammon. It's like The Stand if King was a good writer.
nestor's avatar
17 years ago
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nestor
nestor
i finished faust pt. 1 last week and i'm starting pt 2 as soon as i finish steppenwolf... i'm on a mad german lit spree
lucas's avatar
17 years ago
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lucas
i ❤ demo
part 1 is better than part 2, except for part 2 act 5

:D love it
DaGr8Gatzby's avatar
17 years ago
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DaGr8Gatzby
Drunk by Myself
You guys read a lot ...

Send me your amazon wishlists so I can get suggestions.
phi_'s avatar
17 years ago
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phi_
... and let the Earth be silent after ye.
I've been going back over Modernist Montage and Snow Country the past few days. Always good things. :)
asemisldkfj's avatar
17 years ago
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asemisldkfj
the law is no protection
recent books I've enjoyed are Dangerous Nation (US history in the 18th and 19th centuries) and From Atoms to Quarks (particle physics!).
lucas's avatar
17 years ago
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lucas
i ❤ demo
finished the sorrows of young werther by goethe. it was pretty great. i'm now reading desolation angels by kerouac.
asemisldkfj's avatar
17 years ago
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asemisldkfj
the law is no protection
and I am currently reading a biography of Carl Sagan.

now that I work in a library again I really need to start a list of books I'd like to read or subjects I'd like to find good books about. it's kind of overwhelming how many books I see that I would like to read!

I'm not sure what's up next after this. I started looking at States, Scarcity, and Civil Strife in the Developing World in my school's library so maybe I'll pick that up next.

on another note, I'd like to start buying books that I've read. most books that I finish I think deserve a spot on my bookshelf for future reference and enjoyment.
asemisldkfj's avatar
17 years ago
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asemisldkfj
the law is no protection
oh yeah, speaking of Carl Sagan, I read Cosmos and it was great. I'll probably read some more of his stuff in the future. it's pretty easy reading but it's very entertaining in a fascinating, awe-inspiring way.
dannyp's avatar
17 years ago
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dannyp
dʎuuɐp
Carl is a great orator too. I thought I posted that here somewhere but I couldn't find it with searches.
asemisldkfj's avatar
17 years ago
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asemisldkfj
the law is no protection
http://youtube.com/watch?v=p86BPM1GV8M

:)
dannyp's avatar
17 years ago
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dannyp
dʎuuɐp
http://youtube.com/watch?v=OLlVnKOb4Mk

for the library lovers :)
asemisldkfj's avatar
17 years ago
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asemisldkfj
the law is no protection
haha I've watched that.
nny's avatar
17 years ago
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nny
M̮͈̣̙̰̝̃̿̎̍ͬa͉̭̥͓ț̘ͯ̈́t̬̻͖̰̞͎ͤ̇ ̈̚J̹͎̿̾ȏ̞̫͈y̭̺ͭc̦̹̟̦̭̫͊̿ͩeͥ̌̾̓ͨ
I crack spines when librarians piss me off....

just watch out for this guy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZHoHaAYHq8
nestor's avatar
16 years ago
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nestor
nestor
woah book design blog!

http://nytimesbooks.blogspot.com/
nestor's avatar
16 years ago
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nestor
nestor
the omnivore's dilemma by michael pollan.

great book.
asemisldkfj's avatar
16 years ago
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asemisldkfj
the law is no protection
is anyone on Goodreads?

this is me: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/653693
 
16 years ago
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dbrown
speaking with the angel by nick hornby
of the stories i've read so far it's a pretty good book
 
16 years ago
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arun
keep smiling !
I am planning to get The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. Both by Khaled Hosseini. But both are a bit expensive for me, so they're on hold.
lucas's avatar
16 years ago
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lucas
i ❤ demo
> woah book design blog!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/santos/27538777/

and thanks to santos, delicious library .
nestor's avatar
16 years ago
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nestor
nestor
i used up all my chapters gift cards today. i would never buy from a big box book store but i figured since i have these, why not.

i bought:

the possibility of an island by michel houellbecq (great french author, i read another book of his called elementary particles. it was very existential)
peat smoke and spirit by andrew jefford (about islay)
kafka on the shore by haruki murakami
 
16 years ago
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arun
keep smiling !
I bought The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. But I don't have enough time to read nowadays. :(
 
16 years ago
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dbrown
just finishing up sex, drugs, and cocoa puffs by chuck klosterman. i'm a fan. chuck is a bit pretentious, just enough to keep me hooked though.
nestor's avatar
16 years ago
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nestor
nestor
arun > kite runner is good, i read it a few years ago and it made me cry. :D
rectangular's avatar
16 years ago
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rectangular
i like peanut butter
Sorry i'm late to the convo. Palahniuk is fantastic!

I think "Haunted" is my favorite, followed by "Rant", "Survivor", "Choke", and then "Fight Club".

He's a pretty fantastic author. :D
nny's avatar
16 years ago
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nny
M̮͈̣̙̰̝̃̿̎̍ͬa͉̭̥͓ț̘ͯ̈́t̬̻͖̰̞͎ͤ̇ ̈̚J̹͎̿̾ȏ̞̫͈y̭̺ͭc̦̹̟̦̭̫͊̿ͩeͥ̌̾̓ͨ
Read "Lone Survivor" aside from the pro bush propaganda... it's an amazing story.

They are supposedly making a movie out of it.
nestor's avatar
16 years ago
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nestor
nestor
just finished the possibility of an island. this quote from the economist sums it up pretty well.

His deftly constructed novel is a bleak comment on contemporary society, at times funny, brutal and revolting, which pushes notions of hope and hopelessness to a dismal logical conclusion.



emphasis on the brutal and revolting- the book really pushes the limit, probably a little too forcefully.

the review goes on to say how he does the same material over and over, which is probably true, but if i were to pick one of his books to read, this one is it.
nestor's avatar
16 years ago
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nestor
nestor
and i just grabbed haruki murakami's kafka on the shore off my shelf.

i'm on a reading binge
nestor's avatar
16 years ago
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nestor
nestor
back to the possibility of an island.

i just realized that online forums are what houellbecq had in mind when he was writing about disconnecting individuals from physical contact with one another using the internet :O (!!!)
bluet's avatar
16 years ago
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bluet
reading The C Programming Language, second edition at the moment. really great!
phi_'s avatar
16 years ago
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phi_
... and let the Earth be silent after ye.
Re-reading, marking, and studying Devotional Cinema by Nathaniel Dorsky.
lucas's avatar
16 years ago
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lucas
i ❤ demo
bluet: k&r is the real deal. :)

read most of ee cummings's tulips and chimneys yesterday
read sartre's the wall yesterday
andyp's avatar
16 years ago
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andyp
nothing is wrong - what are you scared of?
read Siddhartha on the bus/plane ride home yesterday
nestor's avatar
16 years ago
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nestor
nestor
did you like it? it isn't hesse's best but it is a great intro to his work
andyp's avatar
16 years ago
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andyp
nothing is wrong - what are you scared of?
yeah I liked it a lot and i'm interested in more of his work. which do you like the best?
nestor's avatar
16 years ago
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nestor
nestor
steppenwolf is a classic.

most people split between glass bead game (GBG) and narcissus and goldmund.
andyp's avatar
16 years ago
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andyp
nothing is wrong - what are you scared of?
I just started

The journey to the East by Hesse
greene's avatar
16 years ago
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greene
cursed, but the demons i confronted with dispersed
2nd book of 'the dark tower' by stephen king
very addicted
nestor's avatar
16 years ago
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nestor
nestor
what you sayin ap
lucas's avatar
16 years ago
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lucas
i ❤ demo
has anyone read she by haggard?
phi_'s avatar
16 years ago
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phi_
... and let the Earth be silent after ye.
The Engines of the Night by Barry Malzberg.
nestor's avatar
16 years ago
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nestor
nestor
a few months ago i read fifth business by robertson davies. for some reason it isn't here.

i was in stratford, ontario this past weekend and went to a used bookstore. i found the second book in that trilogy (deptford trilogy), called the manticore (ripped back cover, but a new edition, for $3). i just finished it today.

like the first installment in the series, it was amazing. great canadian lit, and set in historic southwestern ontario (probably about 1hr from where i am now).
lucas's avatar
16 years ago
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lucas
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16 years ago
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16 years ago
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16 years ago
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16 years ago
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16 years ago
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16 years ago
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16 years ago
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16 years ago
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16 years ago
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16 years ago
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16 years ago
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phi_'s avatar
16 years ago
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phi_
... and let the Earth be silent after ye.
?
nestor's avatar
16 years ago
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nestor
nestor
hahahaha, i see.

looks broke
Étrangère's avatar
16 years ago
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Étrangère
I am not a robot...
We listened to Water for Elephants on our coast trip...really graphic, depressing, awesome book.

Also, Palahniuk's newest sounds...interesting...as usual! I'm borrowing it from a friend. :-D
Étrangère's avatar
16 years ago
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Étrangère
I am not a robot...
Oh it's called Snuff, btw.
Étrangère's avatar
16 years ago
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Étrangère
I am not a robot...
Started reading Middlesex (by Jeffrey Eugenides, author of The Virgin Suicides) in front of customers today so that I could get voluntary reviews of it.
Got two! Both positive.
bluet's avatar
16 years ago
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bluet
reading The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene. it's about string theory and stuff
Fsmart's avatar
16 years ago
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Fsmart
arundhati roy - "the god of small things"

Passions, politics, and elegant pros as well as a pedophile, murder, and discrimination. What else is there?
nestor's avatar
16 years ago
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nestor
nestor
e.h. gombrich - the story of art (pocket edition)
asemisldkfj's avatar
16 years ago
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asemisldkfj
the law is no protection
I just started reading Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison and the prologue and first chapter are like some of the best shit I have ever read. I'm really pumped to keep reading it!
asemisldkfj's avatar
16 years ago
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asemisldkfj
the law is no protection
also, why are both book threads in the music and entertainment forum?
asemisldkfj's avatar
16 years ago
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asemisldkfj
the law is no protection
I guess they could fall under "culture."
Carpetsmoker's avatar
16 years ago
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Carpetsmoker
Martin
Movies, music, etc. are not culture and just ``entertainment'' ...?

or turn it around if you prefer:

Books are not just entertainment but also ``culture''?
bluet's avatar
16 years ago
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bluet
everything is culture
Fsmart's avatar
16 years ago
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Fsmart
word bluet.
nny's avatar
16 years ago
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nny
M̮͈̣̙̰̝̃̿̎̍ͬa͉̭̥͓ț̘ͯ̈́t̬̻͖̰̞͎ͤ̇ ̈̚J̹͎̿̾ȏ̞̫͈y̭̺ͭc̦̹̟̦̭̫͊̿ͩeͥ̌̾̓ͨ
The handbook on human factors
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16 years ago
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nestor
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16 years ago
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nestor
nestor
lr suggests the fall by camus.

i'm going to have a lot of time to read this weekend while on trains etc so i might just invest in this
Étrangère's avatar
16 years ago
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Étrangère
I am not a robot...
starting Palahniuk's Snuff
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16 years ago
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I am not a robot...
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16 years ago
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i ❤ demo
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andyp's avatar
16 years ago
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andyp
nothing is wrong - what are you scared of?
still reading Walden... taking forever!

next in line is...

No man is an island by Thomas Merton
andyp's avatar
15 years ago
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andyp
nothing is wrong - what are you scared of?
bum-bump!

starting to listen to audiobooks during my ridiculously mindnumbing work week..

just finished
"Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

and starting
"The measure of a man" by Sidney Poitier
 
15 years ago
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dbrown
just started:
Travels With Charley: In Search of America - john steinbeck
asemisldkfj's avatar
15 years ago
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asemisldkfj
the law is no protection
I am currently reading a biography of William Lloyd Garrison called All on Fire . it is great. I'm about halfway through.
phi_'s avatar
15 years ago
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phi_
... and let the Earth be silent after ye.
Going through Rendezvous in Black with post-its and a highlighter. I LOVE THIS BOOK.
lucas's avatar
15 years ago
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lucas
i ❤ demo
i just finished kundera's immortality--i don't think i've ever written so much in the margins of a book before--and began reading his laughable loves. of his books that i've finished, here's how i rank them personally:

1. immortality
2. the unbearable lightness of being
3. the book of laughter and forgetting

which is in reverse-chronological order. maybe it's coincidence, or maybe he continually improved as a writer.
dannyp's avatar
15 years ago
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dannyp
dʎuuɐp
reading zen of motorcycle maintenance, every once and a while on the bus.
lucas's avatar
15 years ago
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lucas
i ❤ demo
good luck with that book. it took me three months and i disliked it. :(

meanwhile, i can read a kundera novel in a couple weeks.
lucas's avatar
15 years ago
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lucas
i ❤ demo
i just finished kundera's laughable loves. i liked it--i think it's definitely worth a read! it's a book of short stories. i think a couple of them are pretty great.
asemisldkfj's avatar
15 years ago
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asemisldkfj
the law is no protection
I'm reading We Have Never Been Modern by Bruno Latour . it's kind of intense and I feel like some of it is going over my head. I might need to read an earlier book by him first, like one about actor-network theory .
lucas's avatar
15 years ago
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lucas
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i just finished nabokov's lolita, reviewed here.

next on the list:
dostoyevski, notes from underground
nabokov, ada, or ardor: a family chronicle
tolstoy, anna karenina

i'm (unintentionally) working on my russian literature.
asemisldkfj's avatar
15 years ago
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asemisldkfj
the law is no protection
gave up on Latour, reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X now. it makes me intensely sad and angry that he was assassinated.
Fsmart's avatar
15 years ago
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Fsmart
i gave up on lolita half way through. i don't want to be a pedophile.

tolstoy, killed me.
dostoyevski, been meaning to get to.
chekhov, I read one of his short and thought it was awesome. going to pick up more of him.
lucas's avatar
15 years ago
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lucas
i ❤ demo
you should have completed the book. it may have reconciled with you.
Fsmart's avatar
15 years ago
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Fsmart
i think i will
lucas's avatar
15 years ago
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lucas
i ❤ demo
i finally finished dostoyevski's notes from underground. i started it almost a year ago.

next on the list:
tolstoy, anna karenina
nabokov, ada, or ardor: a family chronicle
phi_'s avatar
15 years ago
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phi_
... and let the Earth be silent after ye.
Monster by A. Lee Martinez.

I'm really digging this book. He's always been aa strong story-teller, and this book is no exception. plus this one is much more outwardly funny than his other books.

I recommend it for people who like fun.
nny's avatar
15 years ago
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nny
M̮͈̣̙̰̝̃̿̎̍ͬa͉̭̥͓ț̘ͯ̈́t̬̻͖̰̞͎ͤ̇ ̈̚J̹͎̿̾ȏ̞̫͈y̭̺ͭc̦̹̟̦̭̫͊̿ͩeͥ̌̾̓ͨ
Just got my copy of MythOS, the fourth book in the webmage series... quite possibly the worst sci-fi / fantasy book of all time. So bad in fact I can't not read it. I laugh myself to sleep readingit.

I also got a copy of shatnerquake. Cause shatner fighting shatner is too much to pass up.
andre's avatar
15 years ago
r1, link
andre
I'm currently reading 2666 by Roberto Bolaño and it's great so far. The Savage Detectives, also by him, is very good (and crazy) too.
Fsmart's avatar
15 years ago
link
Fsmart
Jeffrey Eugenides is unreadable. i started on the virgin suicides and middlesex, each at different times and found them...uninspiring.
phi_'s avatar
15 years ago
link
phi_
... and let the Earth be silent after ye.
You are my new best friend, Fsmart.
lucas's avatar
15 years ago
link
lucas
i ❤ demo
poplit ftw
Étrangère's avatar
15 years ago
link
Étrangère
I am not a robot...
> Jeffrey Eugenides..uninspiring.

I realized just now that I never finished Middlesex. In fact, I completely forgot that I had started it. Not sure I've ever experienced that with a book before.

I wonder where it went...
lucas's avatar
15 years ago
link
lucas
i ❤ demo
i remember seeing it in your room once
asemisldkfj's avatar
15 years ago
r11, link
asemisldkfj
the law is no protection
right now I'm finishing up volume 4 of

The Collected Essays, Journalism, and Letters of George Orwell http://books.google.com/books?id=zaxG_3ivhVAC

somehow I flew through the first three volumes.

next up is one of the following:

Maybe I'll Pitch Forever by Satchell Paige http://books.google.com/books?id=MwGtuOmFkVYC

Three Classic African-American Novels http://books.google.com/books?id=gX5Wn8K2I6gC

Novels and Social Writings by Jack London (I found a really nice hardcover edition at a used book store) http://books.google.com/books?id=HJKfh-uaLEUC

or

The Obelisk Trilogy: Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn, & Black Spring by Henry Miller http://books.google.com/books?id=2_EZRhhjC0UC

I'm having trouble deciding.
andyp's avatar
15 years ago
link
andyp
nothing is wrong - what are you scared of?
I just finished:
Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda
Legacy of Luna by Julia Butterfly Hill

Starting:
the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I saw the movie before I knew it was a book.

then The Bhagavad Gita or a book of Rumi poems.
phi_'s avatar
15 years ago
link
phi_
... and let the Earth be silent after ye.
Anything by Maurice Blanchot. Seriously, you guys. :D
Étrangère's avatar
15 years ago
link
Étrangère
I am not a robot...
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner

Boring. Terrible way of handling character dialogue. I liked only one of his three narrators and didn't care at all about what was going on with the person the book centers around. That, and that person disappears part-way through and all of a sudden we're following someone else (who I care even less about).
phi_'s avatar
15 years ago
link
phi_
... and let the Earth be silent after ye.
Yeah, Faulkner sucks like that.
lucas's avatar
15 years ago
link
lucas
i ❤ demo
you finished it, becky?
Étrangère's avatar
15 years ago
link
Étrangère
I am not a robot...
I finished it on the trip. I haven't finished Lolita yet, though!
andre's avatar
15 years ago
link
andre
Finished reading "Last Evenings on Earth" last night. Nice collection of short stories... Bolaño rocks. Started reading "Fictions" by Borges this morning.

Does anyone here have a goodreads or shelfari account?
dannyp's avatar
15 years ago
link
dannyp
dʎuuɐp
yessir, even though I haven't updated my reading in a while.

http://www.goodreads.com/projectdp
Chiken's avatar
14 years ago
link
Chiken
Don't Let Your Walls Down
I went out and bought "the mismeasure of man" last night.
Chiken's avatar
14 years ago
link
Chiken
Don't Let Your Walls Down
been reading this: Privacy, Information and Technology by Daniel J. Solove

http://www.amazon.com/Privacy-Information-Tec … 0735562458

i'm actually really enjoying it, but having to read around 200 pages of it in one week is pretty tough and just not enough time to fully comprehend everything. well at least not for me.
andyp's avatar
14 years ago
link
andyp
nothing is wrong - what are you scared of?
finally got and finished "On the road" by Kerouac

starting "Lolita" and hoping I can cram it before I leave Oregon since it does not belong to me.

then reading "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson. Heard a lot of good things about this author from my parents!
lucas's avatar
14 years ago
link
lucas
i ❤ demo
ap> finally got and finished "On the road" by Kerouac

thoughts on it?
andyp's avatar
14 years ago
link
andyp
nothing is wrong - what are you scared of?
Overall I enjoyed it. I liked the way that I was written more than the actual plot I guess. It was a bit more excited and spontaneous than what I normally read. Kerouac's description of Jazz was great and I got a good idea of his passion for it. It had its moments of brilliance, but for the most part it was kind of inane I guess. I liked the style over all but didn't really enjoy the content as much. I didn't really experience the life changing epiphany this book has been said to have.

you posted earlier that you hated it. why's that?
Étrangère's avatar
14 years ago
r1, link
Étrangère
I am not a robot...
Have fun with Lolita. One of the most seriously twisted, romantic novels I've experienced thus far.
nny's avatar
14 years ago
link
nny
M̮͈̣̙̰̝̃̿̎̍ͬa͉̭̥͓ț̘ͯ̈́t̬̻͖̰̞͎ͤ̇ ̈̚J̹͎̿̾ȏ̞̫͈y̭̺ͭc̦̹̟̦̭̫͊̿ͩeͥ̌̾̓ͨ
Free Humbert!
andyp's avatar
14 years ago
link
andyp
nothing is wrong - what are you scared of?
I'm loving it so far
asemisldkfj's avatar
14 years ago
link
asemisldkfj
the law is no protection
I'm reading Generation Kill.
lucas's avatar
14 years ago
link
lucas
i ❤ demo
> you posted earlier that you hated it. why's that?

lack of substance. i dislike his style in that book, and nothing ever happens. you should read his dharma bums. it is fantastic.
bsdlite's avatar
14 years ago
link
bsdlite
thinks darkness is his ally
> for the most part it was kind of inane I guess
> lack of substance [...] and nothing ever happens

i felt the same
nny's avatar
14 years ago
link
nny
M̮͈̣̙̰̝̃̿̎̍ͬa͉̭̥͓ț̘ͯ̈́t̬̻͖̰̞͎ͤ̇ ̈̚J̹͎̿̾ȏ̞̫͈y̭̺ͭc̦̹̟̦̭̫͊̿ͩeͥ̌̾̓ͨ
The Art of Manliness.
Carpetsmoker's avatar
14 years ago
link
Carpetsmoker
Martin
Zombie Combat Manual

I always try to read about practical skills and such.
 
14 years ago
link
History500
I AM the walrus!
The circle trilogy by Ted DeKker is pretty epic.
asemisldkfj's avatar
14 years ago
link
asemisldkfj
the law is no protection
I'm just about done with Diaspora by Greg Egan and it's really great. if anyone has any sci-fi to recommend, I am listening. I've read the Mars Trilogy by Robinson and thought that was pretty good (if slow and boring at times), and generally like more realistic or "hard" sci-fi stuff. NO FANTASY
phi_'s avatar
14 years ago
link
phi_
... and let the Earth be silent after ye.
Galaxies by Barry Malzberg
Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds
Ivory by Mike Resnick

:D
Chiken's avatar
14 years ago
link
Chiken
Don't Let Your Walls Down
Crazy '08 by Cait Murphy

pretty good read if you like baseball
Étrangère's avatar
14 years ago
link
Étrangère
I am not a robot...
Asemi: Orson Scott Card. All of the books in his Ender series (there are 5) and in the off-shoot Shadow series (I think there are 4 now).

Fictional, but convincingly realistic and intelligently written.
asemisldkfj's avatar
14 years ago
link
asemisldkfj
the law is no protection
I read the first ender book and liked it. but I never got past the beginning of the second one.
nny's avatar
14 years ago
link
nny
M̮͈̣̙̰̝̃̿̎̍ͬa͉̭̥͓ț̘ͯ̈́t̬̻͖̰̞͎ͤ̇ ̈̚J̹͎̿̾ȏ̞̫͈y̭̺ͭc̦̹̟̦̭̫͊̿ͩeͥ̌̾̓ͨ
The very last ender book in the series is the only one worth reading IMHO.

And picks up immediately after the first ender book.

Asemisldkfj, add forever war, and old man's war to your reading list.
Étrangère's avatar
14 years ago
link
Étrangère
I am not a robot...
Yeah second one's a drag. Skip to Xenocide or go to the shadow series.
Chiken's avatar
13 years ago
r1, link
Chiken
Don't Let Your Walls Down
I'm kind of on a Greg Graffin kick right now.

Currently reading Is belief in god good, bad or irrelevant (which is actually written by Preston Jones but half the material in the book was contributed by Greg Graffin).

After that I'm moving on to Anarchy Evolution and then finally going to read his PHD dissertation Evolution and Religion: Questioning the beliefs of the worlds eminent evolutionists
Étrangère's avatar
13 years ago
r1, link
Étrangère
I am not a robot...
I'm about half-way through The Gambler by Dostoevsky. It's ok for the most part...with a few, scattered glimmers of fucking awesome...almost all of which are about his love interest.

I didn't realize previously how funny he is! I've laughed out loud several times in my lunch room at work. Probably makes me look like a lunatic.

Holy crap though, I have never seen so many absolutely horrendous editing errors before...once, they repeated an entire line twice (one with a typo, one with the typo fixed). I thought that was pretty funny/awful.
lucas's avatar
13 years ago
link
lucas
i ❤ demo
who is the publisher? dover?
nny's avatar
13 years ago
link
nny
M̮͈̣̙̰̝̃̿̎̍ͬa͉̭̥͓ț̘ͯ̈́t̬̻͖̰̞͎ͤ̇ ̈̚J̹͎̿̾ȏ̞̫͈y̭̺ͭc̦̹̟̦̭̫͊̿ͩeͥ̌̾̓ͨ
I was a HUGE dostoyevsky fan in HS. Reality is, the irish and the russians see eye to eye on lit. That being said... They are all wholly depressing.

raskolnikov vs svidrigailov is the ultimate duality in ethos.
Étrangère's avatar
13 years ago
r1, link
Étrangère
I am not a robot...
The full sentence fuck up was kind of cute because it made me imagine the editor all up in there, fixing things (or trying to) but the ones that really confuse me all the damn time are quotation mark fails. Every other page, it seems, he starts quoting someone's speech when they have either already finished talking and are now giving a personal aside, or haven't actually started yet and are still trying to describe things. *sigh*

Oh and I found a few he/she errors, too.

> who is the publisher? dover?

The University of Chicago Press

> They are all wholly depressing.

Hmm, guess I'll have to wait and see how this one ends. Unrequited love, I think.
Chiken's avatar
13 years ago
link
Chiken
Don't Let Your Walls Down
I'm kind of excited. Pitt has two copies of Man and his gods. Foreword by Albert Einstein. but they are both in storage. They've told me they'll let me know about getting it in a couple of days!
andre's avatar
13 years ago
link
andre
I'm reading Foucault's Pendulum. Book should be called "Tangent".
Chiken's avatar
13 years ago
link
Chiken
Don't Let Your Walls Down
if only I had the money
http://www.choosebooks.com/displayBookDetails … amp;ref=bf
Étrangère's avatar
13 years ago
link
Étrangère
I am not a robot...
The Gambler was a huge disappointment. But there were still a dozen times I thought "Oh god, I need to remember this!"
Étrangère's avatar
13 years ago
link
Étrangère
I am not a robot...
Ok, to be fair I haven't gotten all the way through Polina's diary yet. But I don't expect much from this part considering the way it has been going.
dannyp's avatar
13 years ago
r2, link
dannyp
dʎuuɐp
Help me pick the next book:

absalom, absalom!, william faulkner.
demian, herman hesse.
invisible man, ralph ellison.
jupiter, ben bova.
life, the universe and everything, douglas adams.
the existence of god, john hick.
the restaurant at the end of the universe, douglas adams.
unberable lightness of being, milan kundera.
zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance, robert pirsig.
Carpetsmoker's avatar
13 years ago
r1, link
Carpetsmoker
Martin
You should put first names with that. I know at least two writters named ellison.
nny's avatar
13 years ago
link
nny
M̮͈̣̙̰̝̃̿̎̍ͬa͉̭̥͓ț̘ͯ̈́t̬̻͖̰̞͎ͤ̇ ̈̚J̹͎̿̾ȏ̞̫͈y̭̺ͭc̦̹̟̦̭̫͊̿ͩeͥ̌̾̓ͨ
you gotta clear douglas adams that's required reading for life.
dannyp's avatar
13 years ago
link
dannyp
dʎuuɐp
down.
nestor's avatar
12 years ago
link
nestor
nestor
just finished 1Q84, haruki murakami.
andre's avatar
12 years ago
link
andre
Nestor, how was it? I've only read Norwegian Wood and Sputnik Sweetheart by Murakami.
nestor's avatar
12 years ago
link
nestor
nestor
i haven't read either of those. i liked 1Q84 a lot - it's worth a read. i loved the 80s japan setting and the amazing build-up and detail of the main characters.

it is probably an easier to enjoy than kafka was, based on one read alone.
phi_'s avatar
12 years ago
link
phi_
... and let the Earth be silent after ye.
Reading this

Amazing.
Carpetsmoker's avatar
12 years ago
link
Carpetsmoker
Martin
The art of UNIX programming

Nice book. Doesn't really focus on the programming part, but more on the UNIX design philosophy.
nny's avatar
12 years ago
link
nny
M̮͈̣̙̰̝̃̿̎̍ͬa͉̭̥͓ț̘ͯ̈́t̬̻͖̰̞͎ͤ̇ ̈̚J̹͎̿̾ȏ̞̫͈y̭̺ͭc̦̹̟̦̭̫͊̿ͩeͥ̌̾̓ͨ
Advanced Unix Programming by Stevens.
phi_'s avatar
12 years ago
link
phi_
... and let the Earth be silent after ye.
http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~altemey/
Carpetsmoker's avatar
12 years ago
link
Carpetsmoker
Martin
Game of Thrones
phi_'s avatar
12 years ago
link
phi_
... and let the Earth be silent after ye.
Woo! Good book.
andre's avatar
12 years ago
link
andre
Just finished On the Road "the original scroll" version.
phi_'s avatar
12 years ago
link
phi_
... and let the Earth be silent after ye.
Oooph, that sounds like an interesting read.
andre's avatar
12 years ago
link
andre
It is interesting but it also adds more events that go nowhere. But I guess it's the point of the book, to go everywhere and go nowhere.

Also it uses his friends' real names which is kinda cool.
asemisldkfj's avatar
12 years ago
link
asemisldkfj
the law is no protection
I've been pretty into mark twain lately.
andyp's avatar
12 years ago
link
andyp
nothing is wrong - what are you scared of?
wow i'm finally able to access ttf again!

I've been reading quit a bit while traveling.. here is a little list of things:

Foundation serious by Isaac Asimov - i've finished 5 out of 7.
Slaughterhouse Five and Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
Cosmos by Carl Sagan
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Marquez
Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres
Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck

I've just started Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams

Also, while working on the orchard, I've listened to the first 3 Dune audiobooks, the Lord of the Rings, and the God Delusion.

It's been a productive reading trip!

nestor's avatar
11 years ago
link
nestor
nestor
this intense studying i'm doing for the cfa has inspired me to do some more non-fiction reading in december. my frustration with non-fiction in the past has been my limited retention of the information. how do you retain the info? do you have a note-taking system?
andre's avatar
11 years ago
link
andre
Just finished 1Q84. What a piece of shit.
nestor's avatar
11 years ago
link
nestor
nestor
what didn't you like about it?
lucas's avatar
11 years ago
link
lucas
i ❤ demo
> Just finished 1Q84. What a piece of shit.

haha
andre's avatar
11 years ago
link
andre
Nice, I post and forget to check back for replies :P

nestor, I really enjoyed the beginning of the book and the plot is interesting until the "surreal" parts begin to show. And then there's the Little People who say "ho ho". That was a bit too ridiculous for me.

The book is very repetitive. This possibly comes from the fact that the american edition they joined the 3 books into one. With 3 books Murakami probably felt he needed to repeat something so that readers would remember the previous book... But still, you have 3 main characters in the story and you have to go through the 3 of them experiencing the 1Q84 world and having basically the same thoughts and doing the same assumptions, etc.

The plot seems really thin to me. All of it is tied by people who suddenly discover they're in love because they touched hands when they were 10 years old. And everyone seems ready to accept absurd stuff like nothing special is going on "oh, there are two moons in the sky now". "oh, I got pregnant without having sex".

Somehow I managed to finished it so I guess there must be something good in it...

My previous experience with Murakami was with Norwegian Wood, which I think is much much better than 1Q84.
bluet's avatar
11 years ago
link
bluet
I'm reading Norwegian Wood.
andre's avatar
11 years ago
link
andre
Oh and the parts in bold font. "Hey guys pay attention to this part ok?"
andre's avatar
11 years ago
link
andre
Finished Satantango last week. Now I need 7.5h to watch the movie...
Carpetsmoker's avatar
11 years ago
link
Carpetsmoker
Martin
I just read The colour of magic (Discworld novel #1).

If you like Douglas Adams and the guide, you will like this.
andre's avatar
11 years ago
link
andre
Started "The Bang Bang Club" this week.
bluet's avatar
11 years ago
link
bluet
Started reading Gödel, Escher, Bach.
Carpetsmoker's avatar
11 years ago
link
Carpetsmoker
Martin
^ I've had that one on the bookshelf for ages, just waiting to be read...

Anyhow, yesteryday I recieved `Mind Fields: The Art of Jacek Yerka, the Fiction of Harlan Ellison' and `Forward the foundation' by Asimov.
phi_'s avatar
11 years ago
link
phi_
... and let the Earth be silent after ye.
> Finished Satantango last week. Now I need 7.5h to watch the movie...

:D How did you like Krasznahorkhai's deliciously dense prose?


Chasing Aphrodite
Mountain Justice
Take Back the Land (Haven't finished yet, but quite good so far!)
Lore: The Complete Collection
The Conspiracy Against the Human Race

I recommend all.
andre's avatar
11 years ago
link
andre
phi_, this was my second Krasznahorkhai. I had read The Melancholy of Resistance before. I think both books are amazing, and his writing is unlike anything I had seen before. I also love the sense of humor in both books. I still have "War & War" sitting here waiting to be read, and yesterday the Sprint 2013 issue of "Music and Literature" magazine arrived here with texts by Krasznahorkhai and Béla Tarr :)

Still haven't managed to find time to watch the Satantango movie though :(
phi_'s avatar
11 years ago
link
phi_
... and let the Earth be silent after ye.
AHHHHHHHH, I want to read that article.

And the movie is long, but it's (supposedly) a really faithful adaptation, even to the structure of the film. Apparently, Tarr and Krasznahorkhai had to write an entire script that restructured to story to a more linear style to raise funds for production, then immediately scrapped it and rewrote it before filming.
andre's avatar
11 years ago
link
andre
Haha didn't know that story about the movie :D

The magazine can be ordered here: http://musicandliterature.org/ . It's cheaper for 'mericans :P
andre's avatar
10 years ago
link
andre
Guide to the Perfect Latin American Idiot
phi_'s avatar
10 years ago
link
phi_
... and let the Earth be silent after ye.
I reread Gormenghast recently. Forgot how amazing it was. Plus it's a fantasy novel without any magic or supernatural elements. Gotta love that.
andre's avatar
10 years ago
link
andre
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell. Meh.
andre's avatar
10 years ago
link
andre
War & War - Krasznahorkhai
nny's avatar
10 years ago
link
nny
M̮͈̣̙̰̝̃̿̎̍ͬa͉̭̥͓ț̘ͯ̈́t̬̻͖̰̞͎ͤ̇ ̈̚J̹͎̿̾ȏ̞̫͈y̭̺ͭc̦̹̟̦̭̫͊̿ͩeͥ̌̾̓ͨ
read cibola burn was a fun read
phi_'s avatar
9 years ago
link
phi_
... and let the Earth be silent after ye.
Texas Tough: The Rise of Americas Prison Empire
Lavinia
Drood