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On August 24 2013 15:03 Carnivorous Sheep wrote: no it's completely stupid and it was basically based off some guy who's annoyed that " n this thread where a book is dismissed as juvenile literature if it is not at university textbook level, then i guess you are right that. "when no such attitude exists
it's also really stupid because "discussions" like this come up periodically in every book-related topic and it's just as inane each time it comes up as the previous 23948243 times The attitude doesn't seem to exist in this thread, but it does exist. There are definitely literature elitists, and there are certainly others who scoff at most if not all high lit. If people want to talk about it, then so what? Just because it's been brought up time and time again doesn't make it inane, nor does the discussion have to dead-end. People have been asking "what is good literature?" for ages too and have come no closer to an answer; does that make the question inane?
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Conn Iggulden - Lords of the Bow
John Verdon - Let the Devil sleep
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Baa?21243 Posts
On August 24 2013 15:19 babylon wrote:Show nested quote +On August 24 2013 15:03 Carnivorous Sheep wrote: no it's completely stupid and it was basically based off some guy who's annoyed that " n this thread where a book is dismissed as juvenile literature if it is not at university textbook level, then i guess you are right that. "when no such attitude exists
it's also really stupid because "discussions" like this come up periodically in every book-related topic and it's just as inane each time it comes up as the previous 23948243 times The attitude doesn't seem to exist in this thread, but it does exist. There are definitely literature elitists, and there are certainly others who scoff at most if not all high lit. If people want to talk about it, then so what? Just because it's been brought up time and time again doesn't make it inane, nor does the discussion have to dead-end. People have been asking "what is good literature?" for ages too and have come no closer to an answer; does that make the question inane?
yes because it just leads to a bunch of people whining about about personal preferences and rehashing the same tired old arguments
the question, by the way, is not what is good literature. there was no question. the "topic" was "im mad not everyone reads what i read/i want to be mad that not everyone reads what i read"
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i thought crime and punishment was kinda dumb when i read it in highschool. except for the first part where he murders the old lady, that was good. the rest was all downhill from there. doesn't hold a candle to tolstoy
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in progress.
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Finished:
![[image loading]](http://www.cine-images.com/moteur_photo/exportation_images/chapitre_book/hotel%20du%20nord_01.jpg)
This was surprisingly good. It mainly consists of short episodes of the lives of working class people in Paris between the wars. Easy to read and interesting.
reading:
![[image loading]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51he4bGB4jL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_SX385_SY500_CR,0,0,385,500_SH20_OU03_.jpg)
I will travel a lot, so I thought I could read something longer.
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On August 24 2013 15:30 Carnivorous Sheep wrote:Show nested quote +On August 24 2013 15:19 babylon wrote:On August 24 2013 15:03 Carnivorous Sheep wrote: no it's completely stupid and it was basically based off some guy who's annoyed that " n this thread where a book is dismissed as juvenile literature if it is not at university textbook level, then i guess you are right that. "when no such attitude exists
it's also really stupid because "discussions" like this come up periodically in every book-related topic and it's just as inane each time it comes up as the previous 23948243 times The attitude doesn't seem to exist in this thread, but it does exist. There are definitely literature elitists, and there are certainly others who scoff at most if not all high lit. If people want to talk about it, then so what? Just because it's been brought up time and time again doesn't make it inane, nor does the discussion have to dead-end. People have been asking "what is good literature?" for ages too and have come no closer to an answer; does that make the question inane? yes because it just leads to a bunch of people whining about about personal preferences and rehashing the same tired old arguments the question, by the way, is not what is good literature. there was no question. the "topic" was "im mad not everyone reads what i read/i want to be mad that not everyone reads what i read" Nah, it's not anger. For many, it's pity for people who are missing out. For pretentious elitists, it's just about feeling better about themselves, feeling superior. I don't sense anger though.
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all my to-read books are packed into boxes, so I went up to the book shop to find something to read, ended up with this:
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Just finished: ![[image loading]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/717MCD1E3VL._SY346_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_.gif)
Currently reading: Honestly more than half of this book is an introduction for the book written by the translator, should be done by tomorrow or today.
![[image loading]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51DHcJzgNrL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg)
Not really sure on what I plan on reading next. Yesterday I just picked up about 30~ books for 50 cents each, all of which are either classics or books that interest me. Thank you humane society for the almost free books.
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Just got done reading Lone Survivor... Wow. Definitely in my top 10 books I've read. Any Navy SEAL you meet you give them the highest honors..
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Been a while since I read something new. I tend to go through phases where I just re-read books I've read and loved before.
I've started Titus Groan (Book One of the Gormenghast Trilogy) by Mervyn Peake. I'm a little ways in. It's interesting.
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On August 24 2013 15:35 sam!zdat wrote: i thought crime and punishment was kinda dumb when i read it in highschool. except for the first part where he murders the old lady, that was good. the rest was all downhill from there. doesn't hold a candle to tolstoy
I agree with this. Its funny most people on here at least seem to prefer Dostoyevsky over Tolstoy.
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Finished I just finished Enders Game and the first Sequel Speaker for the Dead (I know, I know, I am late to the party):
![[image loading]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e4/Ender%27s_game_cover_ISBN_0312932081.jpg)
I loved both books. I usually don't read much Science-Fiction, but it was worth it in this case. I read both books back to back within like 9 Hours, something I haven't done in a long time.
Gave up?
I might continue reading this, simply so that I don't have any unfinished books - I even finished the worst novel I've ever read (Dan Brown's Lost Symbol).
I also know that I would've liked this a few years ago, in my 'read-everything-fantasy' phase. I am about halfway in and everything feels pretty generic. No huge surprises, no particularly exciting world.
Plan to read
I'm going to continue reading the Enders Game Series, starting with Xenocide.
I'll probably also continue reading The Wheel of Time, but since it has been a long time I might restart from the beginning.
Despite not being impressed by The Law of Nines (never realized Goodkind had a neck-breaking fetish), I am also willing to give the new Richard/Kahlan novels a try.
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I need to update my progress in this thread more often, and include short reviews!
Just finished three books recently: Dune, The Book Thief, and Memoir of an Imagnary Friend.
Liked the last two more than Dune TBH, fantastic modern fictions that I highly recommend.
Now I'm reading Narnia
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On August 25 2013 23:39 Cambium wrote:Now I'm reading Narnia 
Had you not read the Chronicles of Narnia before? Those books were my childhood.
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Never knew about this thread before!!
I'm in the middle of Thomas Pynchon's Vineland and am loving it, as I have all his other works.
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On August 26 2013 00:52 packrat386 wrote:Had you not read the Chronicles of Narnia before? Those books were my childhood.
I didn't speak English until I was 11, so I missed out most of the children books. Harry Potter was actually the first book I read in English. Then Red Wall, and LOTR (admittedly I probably only understood about 1/3 at the time lol). I'm catching up on a lot of these classics
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Sometimes Barnes and Noble delivers:
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On August 25 2013 18:36 aZealot wrote: Been a while since I read something new. I tend to go through phases where I just re-read books I've read and loved before.
I've started Titus Groan (Book One of the Gormenghast Trilogy) by Mervyn Peake. I'm a little ways in. It's interesting.
I snagged an omnibus edition of the Gormenghast Trilogy and loved the whole thing. The series read a little like Frank Herbert's Dune saga for me, really captivating start but towards the end you start to wonder if the author is a little perverted or off in some other way. Still, great books.
Working on Michael Pollan's Second Nature now. Got a bunch of titles on my "to buy" list but those will have to wait a while.
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