|
Finished:
![[image loading]](http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1178660247l/818123.jpg)
I don't know what to say about this book... I guess I'm not really that satisfied by short stories. Some were good, some were weird and some were a waste of time. But regardless of how good they were, they didn't satisfy me.
Still trudging through:
![[image loading]](http://anyiko.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/gabriel-garcia-marquez-one-hundred-years-of-solitude-04.jpg)
It's going really really slow for me with this one. I just can't seem to find motivation to keep reading it. Partly because it's hard for me to comprehend what's happening sometimes, and partly because stuff is happening all over the place, much of which isn't that interesting to be honest. I know this book's been praised alot in this thread. I guess I'm one of those less erudite people in this thread.
Just arrived:
![[image loading]](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RSub0VjLWU8/TOJA8Hf53tI/AAAAAAAABKo/f50i99I2H9Q/s320/amsterdam.jpg) ![[image loading]](http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1343059311l/13578175.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kHAI3kSeA2g/T37WZgx7lmI/AAAAAAAAFEU/K0EzME1t0qA/s400/The+Witcher+USA.jpg)
I started The Last Wish today and it looks really promising! Best part is that I have a clear understanding of how the various monsters in the book looks like, since I played the game. Always useful!
|
I know this book's been praised alot in this thread. I guess I'm one of those less erudite people in this thread.
Don't take it like that, it's ok not to like a novel, no matter how much other smart people praise it  Laybe one day you'll understand it, maybe you need something else.
About Dosto, I must say that for me, the novel he wrote I could see reduced to an essay is C&P. Demons could be seen as only political satire, but it would lose a lot of its strength, and more importantly, its very hart : Nikolai Stavroguine.
Anyway, finished :
![[image loading]](https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQERuVHtzabrXUfXv43Rd_7U-S-zSnGQJnMYIcGTqGSo3l7hdVm)
Philosophy in the bedroom (Donatien Alphonse François de Sade). Half political essay, half erotic novel, it's not very at either. You can read it as the justification of a madman to torture and murder prostitutes to its own liking. But there is definitely something beautiful in Dolmancé's imprecations against nature, religion, and his will to be free at all cost. "Here's what you really want, you who wants to be free and reasonnable, here's the truth you can't bear, look at yourself in the mirror, maybe you won't like yourself that much." that's what this book is saying. Maybe not the greatest book, but a very worthwile read nonetheless.
Currently reading :
![[image loading]](https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRtQeTzdY4QQcIvqDupdiZrI7CI7HyCuPIskY86MPkT2gTAZTM9bw)
Nausea (Sartre)
Maybe it's because of my background, but I find it often reads too much like a story written by a very very good student who just read a book about phenomenology. Sometimes I can almost hear excerpt of L'existentialisme est un humanisme. Not terrible, but I'd suggest reading V. Woolf instead...
|
Finished Fathers and Children. Delightful novel, wish it was a bit longer but I enjoyed Turgenev's voice and observations immensely.
|
Just about to start this one. Excited!
![[image loading]](http://cdn2.lybrary.com/1409427641.jpg)
|
On August 26 2013 23:38 TOCHMY wrote:Finished: I don't know what to say about this book... I guess I'm not really that satisfied by short stories. Some were good, some were weird and some were a waste of time. But regardless of how good they were, they didn't satisfy me. Still trudging through: It's going really really slow for me with this one. I just can't seem to find motivation to keep reading it. Partly because it's hard for me to comprehend what's happening sometimes, and partly because stuff is happening all over the place, much of which isn't that interesting to be honest. I know this book's been praised alot in this thread. I guess I'm one of those less erudite people in this thread. Just arrived: I started The Last Wish today and it looks really promising! Best part is that I have a clear understanding of how the various monsters in the book looks like, since I played the game. Always useful!
I liked Last Wish a lot more than Blood of Elves, which seemed very aimless and did not have the focus I expected. I have not read the third book, but I intend to. I have a feeling that the Witcher games are like the Batman animated series in that they are a refined version of the books.
|
On August 27 2013 01:45 Plansix wrote:Show nested quote +On August 26 2013 23:38 TOCHMY wrote:Finished: I don't know what to say about this book... I guess I'm not really that satisfied by short stories. Some were good, some were weird and some were a waste of time. But regardless of how good they were, they didn't satisfy me. Still trudging through: It's going really really slow for me with this one. I just can't seem to find motivation to keep reading it. Partly because it's hard for me to comprehend what's happening sometimes, and partly because stuff is happening all over the place, much of which isn't that interesting to be honest. I know this book's been praised alot in this thread. I guess I'm one of those less erudite people in this thread. Just arrived: I started The Last Wish today and it looks really promising! Best part is that I have a clear understanding of how the various monsters in the book looks like, since I played the game. Always useful! I liked Last Wish a lot more than Blood of Elves, which seemed very aimless and did not have the focus I expected. I have not read the third book, but I intend to. I have a feeling that the Witcher games are like the Batman animated series in that they are a refined version of the books.
Yeah it does seem to jump around alot with no appearant linear plot. I also got a bit confused when Geralt started talking to his horse, whos name is Roach. I thought he rode on his friend there for a while O.O
|
On August 26 2013 23:38 TOCHMY wrote:Finished: I don't know what to say about this book... I guess I'm not really that satisfied by short stories. Some were good, some were weird and some were a waste of time. But regardless of how good they were, they didn't satisfy me.
Regarding short stories:
I liked Charles Bukowskis "Hot Water Music" very much, you should give it a try. Weird, but good.
![[image loading]](http://img.zvab.com/member/80333k/2795156.jpg)
|
Finished Red Country by Joe Abercrombie (author of the First Law trilogy). Was great, medieval fantasy meets a gold-rush western novel, love this author; really recommend for any GRRM (Game of Thrones) fan. He's probably being my favorite fantasy author now. As much as I'm a fan of Martin, his last two books aren't that great and the guy only writes 2 books per decades.
![[image loading]](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JMYvC0VeVMM/T32kO0j_-EI/AAAAAAAAB-4/05nYUEsdP7U/s400/Joe_Abercrombie_RedCountry.jpg)
By the way, I prefer his 3 stand alone books (in the same universe as the trilogy) to the trilogy. I think hes really at his best without any magic stuff (like GRRM to be honest).
|
On August 26 2013 23:38 TOCHMY wrote:
I guess I'm one of those less erudite people in this thread.
don't apologize for yourself. much more likely is you are smarter than everyone else who likes it and they are pretentious dupes
|
On August 27 2013 02:57 sam!zdat wrote:Show nested quote +On August 26 2013 23:38 TOCHMY wrote:
I guess I'm one of those less erudite people in this thread.
don't apologize for yourself. much more likely is you are smarter than everyone else who likes it and they are pretentious dupes
 I genuinely liked that book.
|
On August 27 2013 03:12 packrat386 wrote:Show nested quote +On August 27 2013 02:57 sam!zdat wrote:On August 26 2013 23:38 TOCHMY wrote:
I guess I'm one of those less erudite people in this thread.
don't apologize for yourself. much more likely is you are smarter than everyone else who likes it and they are pretentious dupes I genuinely liked that book.
Don't apologize for yourself either. Much more likely is that you don't have the same taste as that old grumpy soixante-huitard  (nice sig btw sam!)
|
oh I think that book is one of the best things ever written. i just want our friend to stand up for himself
|
finished reading
now reading ![[image loading]](http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/id/6630866-M.jpg)
tried reading the peloppenesian war but i feel like i have to take copious amounts of notes to follow it at all
|
With Aristotle in your pocket, nary a foe will stand a chance.
|
On August 27 2013 01:45 Plansix wrote:Show nested quote +On August 26 2013 23:38 TOCHMY wrote:Finished: I don't know what to say about this book... I guess I'm not really that satisfied by short stories. Some were good, some were weird and some were a waste of time. But regardless of how good they were, they didn't satisfy me. Still trudging through: It's going really really slow for me with this one. I just can't seem to find motivation to keep reading it. Partly because it's hard for me to comprehend what's happening sometimes, and partly because stuff is happening all over the place, much of which isn't that interesting to be honest. I know this book's been praised alot in this thread. I guess I'm one of those less erudite people in this thread. Just arrived: I started The Last Wish today and it looks really promising! Best part is that I have a clear understanding of how the various monsters in the book looks like, since I played the game. Always useful! I liked Last Wish a lot more than Blood of Elves, which seemed very aimless and did not have the focus I expected. I have not read the third book, but I intend to. I have a feeling that the Witcher games are like the Batman animated series in that they are a refined version of the books.
I agree, the aimlessness increases from book to book imho. The amount of interesting and meaningful scenes decreases the longer he tells his story (read: from book to book) till he finally wakes up to the fact that he has to finish a story. I think you could cut out a lot and end up with a way tighter and better story. Especially the last two books just drag on and on. Thats why I like the last wish so much more.
|
On August 27 2013 03:19 sam!zdat wrote:oh I think that book is one of the best things ever written. i just want our friend to stand up for himself
That's how I interpreted it, but I wasn't totally sure either. You're obviously right, I wanted to express that too
@Sprouter : I admit my edition of Thucydide had absolutely splendid notes, including one of the funniest I've ever read which said something along the lines of "but the ancient greeks were also lucky enough not to know about the hegelian dialectics of master and slave".
|
we should all be so lucky
|
I think someone in this thread was looking for a good history on the war on terror. Did you find anything?
Or can someone suggest a book about the topic?
|
On August 28 2013 05:57 Doppelganger wrote:
I think someone in this thread was looking for a good history on the war on terror. Did you find anything?
Or can someone suggest a book about the topic?
That was me, and I keep asking. I'd love if someone could give me a relatively objective overview of the War in Iraq. I don't want one with a ton of commentary/analysis because I want to make my own conclusions about it. So far everything I find are memoirs and really politically motivated.
|
I agree that 100 Years of Solitude is one of the greatest novels I've ever read. Fantastic from start to finish.
In regards to Murakami's short stories I have only read a few but none stood out as incredible. I'm not the biggest fan of short stories but there good when done right. Chekhov and Borges are probably two of the best short story writers ever to live. I don't think a short story gets more perfect than The Lady with the Pet Dog by Chekhov. Simply perfectly written. Borges is awesome if you want more intellectual stuff. He likes to play tricks on the reader. The Garden of Forking Paths and The Tower of Babel are both fantastic stories by him
|
|
|
|
|
|
EPT![[image loading]](http://geoffwhaley.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/aristophanes-lysistrata-and-other-plays2.jpg?w=200&h=300)
