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On June 06 2013 04:15 elt wrote:
Currently reading:
To be honest I have not been completely convinced by The Books of the South nor The Glittering Stone. I do sort of wish I had just stopped at The White Rose, but I managed to get through Bleak Seasons and She Is The Darkness in spurts. Water Sleeps has picked things up a little, but I'm just in it right now for the closure. I miss the 'simplicity' of the Books of the North if you will, nor do I find the cultural basis for these latter books particularly interesting.
I couldn't get through The Books of the South. The series is not written that well but The Books of the North are still fantastic. They go down hill quick after that. I have heard that The Glittering Stone is almost unreadable.
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Just discovered that Brian Jacques passed away a couple years ago.
I am sad.
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United States13896 Posts
Over the last couple weeks I've finished a few novels. The first was For Whom the Bell Tolls, which I enjoyed thoroughly though not as much as A Farewell to Arms. From there I shifted to Moneyball, which I somehow had put off reading for 10 years. By now it doesn't encompass anything mindblowing and I knew the story but the historical context of years of statistical analysis that MLB completely stonewalled was fascinating.
+ Show Spoiler [Currently tackling ...] +
I'm just two essays in but it is drawing out chuckles at nearly every turn of the page. SirJolt, if you're browsing this thread, I appreciate the recommendation!
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Ulysses: COMPLETE!!!!!!!??!!!!
Definitely the most over-my-head book I've ever read. I enjoyed what I understood, but I could tell there was so much more going on that I didn't understand. It felt like the most crazy trolling of the english language, I really wish I had a better grasp of his writing. I'll have to try reading it again sometime. Sometime far away. That I don't have to consider right now.
Anyways, that took all semester and a little bit of summer. Next I'll be reading Ishmael, recommended by a friend.
On June 06 2013 12:43 ticklishmusic wrote:
Just discovered that Brian Jacques passed away a couple years ago.
I am sad.
Oh wow. I hadn't realized that either. Redwall was such a big part of my childhood.
On June 06 2013 14:09 p4NDemik wrote:Over the last couple weeks I've finished a few novels. The first was For Whom the Bell Tolls, which I enjoyed thoroughly though not as much as A Farewell to Arms. From there I shifted to Moneyball, which I somehow had put off reading for 10 years. By now it doesn't encompass anything mindblowing and I knew the story but the historical context of years of statistical analysis that MLB completely stonewalled was fascinating. + Show Spoiler [Currently tackling ...] +I'm just two essays in but it is drawing out chuckles at nearly every turn of the page. SirJolt, if you're browsing this thread, I appreciate the recommendation!
A few novels in a couple weeks! That makes me feel embarrassed at how slow i've been reading. For Whom the Bell Tolls is a good, sad book. I read it a couple summers ago. It has some great character development, though it move a little slow for my taste.
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On June 06 2013 14:25 itkovian wrote:Ulysses: COMPLETE!!!!!!!??!!!! Definitely the most over-my-head book I've ever read. I enjoyed what I understood, but I could tell there was so much more going on that I didn't understand. It felt like the most crazy trolling of the english language, I really wish I had a better grasp of his writing. I'll have to try reading it again sometime. Sometime far away. That I don't have to consider right now. Anyways, that took all semester and a little bit of summer. Next I'll be reading Ishmael, recommended by a friend. Show nested quote +On June 06 2013 12:43 ticklishmusic wrote:
Just discovered that Brian Jacques passed away a couple years ago.
I am sad. Oh wow. I hadn't realized that either. Redwall was such a big part of my childhood. Show nested quote +On June 06 2013 14:09 p4NDemik wrote:
Over the last couple weeks I've finished a few novels. The first was For Whom the Bell Tolls, which I enjoyed thoroughly though not as much as A Farewell to Arms. From there I shifted to Moneyball, which I somehow had put off reading for 10 years. By now it doesn't encompass anything mindblowing and I knew the story but the historical context of years of statistical analysis that MLB completely stonewalled was fascinating.
I'm just two essays in but it is drawing out chuckles at nearly every turn of the page. SirJolt, if you're browsing this thread, I appreciate the recommendation! A few novels in a couple weeks! That makes me feel embarrassed at how slow i've been reading. For Whom the Bell Tolls is a good, sad book. I read it a couple summers ago. It has some great character development, though it move a little slow for my taste.
Don't be embarrassed by your reading pace everyone reads at their own pace. Your reading thats whats important.
I wholeheartedly agree with your analysis of Ulysses. I feel like I'm getting trolled the whole time. It was personally annoying and I did not enjoy Ulysses at all. Never read Portrait but assumed it would be just as ridiculous.
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Just finished "Ender's game" Recommended! Hope the movie does not kill the book too hard.
Started "Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban" ... (I know, waaaaay late....)
Also, earlier this year I finished "Nova" (Novel for Starcraft: Ghost, which was never released). That one was REALLY good! Best Starcraft novel I've read I think.
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On June 06 2013 19:53 Xiphias wrote:
Just finished "Ender's game" Recommended! Hope the movie does not kill the book too hard.
Started "Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban" ... (I know, waaaaay late....)
Also, earlier this year I finished "Nova" (Novel for Starcraft: Ghost, which was never released). That one was REALLY good! Best Starcraft novel I've read I think.
Discovering ones childhood when one is an adult is a great delight :D
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On June 06 2013 19:39 Explorer86 wrote:Show nested quote +On June 06 2013 14:25 itkovian wrote:Ulysses: COMPLETE!!!!!!!??!!!! Definitely the most over-my-head book I've ever read. I enjoyed what I understood, but I could tell there was so much more going on that I didn't understand. It felt like the most crazy trolling of the english language, I really wish I had a better grasp of his writing. I'll have to try reading it again sometime. Sometime far away. That I don't have to consider right now. Anyways, that took all semester and a little bit of summer. Next I'll be reading Ishmael, recommended by a friend. On June 06 2013 12:43 ticklishmusic wrote:
Just discovered that Brian Jacques passed away a couple years ago.
I am sad. Oh wow. I hadn't realized that either. Redwall was such a big part of my childhood. On June 06 2013 14:09 p4NDemik wrote:
Over the last couple weeks I've finished a few novels. The first was For Whom the Bell Tolls, which I enjoyed thoroughly though not as much as A Farewell to Arms. From there I shifted to Moneyball, which I somehow had put off reading for 10 years. By now it doesn't encompass anything mindblowing and I knew the story but the historical context of years of statistical analysis that MLB completely stonewalled was fascinating.
I'm just two essays in but it is drawing out chuckles at nearly every turn of the page. SirJolt, if you're browsing this thread, I appreciate the recommendation! A few novels in a couple weeks! That makes me feel embarrassed at how slow i've been reading. For Whom the Bell Tolls is a good, sad book. I read it a couple summers ago. It has some great character development, though it move a little slow for my taste. Don't be embarrassed by your reading pace everyone reads at their own pace. Your reading thats whats important. I wholeheartedly agree with your analysis of Ulysses. I feel like I'm getting trolled the whole time. It was personally annoying and I did not enjoy Ulysses at all. Never read Portrait but assumed it would be just as ridiculous.
I read sections of my brother's copy of Ulysses just for fun, but then I think I started reading the editor's introduction, and what I found was kind of shocking. Thankfully I found the quote on wikibooks, and they cite it from the annotations. From the pen of James Joyce himself:
I've put in so many enigmas and puzzles that it will keep the professors busy for centuries arguing over what I meant, and that's the only way of insuring one's immortality.
Richard Ellmann, James Joyce, Oxford University Press, New York, Revised Edition (1982), p. 521.
So really...I don't think you're far off. He intentionally tried to create a very dense book that is hard to understand. Its for that reason that I feel like this book isn't really worthwhile to read. I'm not really interested in maneuvering someone's mental labyrinth just for fun, I'd rather get something meaningful and informative out of a book (or at least enjoy the story)
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On June 03 2013 21:42 Syn Harvest wrote:Show nested quote +On June 03 2013 18:14 YoucriedWolf wrote:The master and MargaritaDid not enjoy as thoroughly as I expected. Russian literature is wasted on me  I loved The Master and Margarita It was fantastic in my opinion. I really enjoy the Russian literature though. I am about half way through War and Peace right now which is proving to be a monumental task that may be too much for me. I feel as if I could have read 3 or 4 normal size books in the time I have spent on War and Peace
Yeah I was expecting master and margarita to be a safe bet for me, but it just didn't happen. Some works are just deeply personal in the sense that you always have to choose to want to imagine and appreciate the symbolism and this book didn't make me want to pretend.
On June 04 2013 18:59 Roe wrote:Show nested quote +On June 03 2013 18:14 YoucriedWolf wrote:
Finished
Man and his symbols
Insights galore! I found the first parts absolutely essential reading but the latter (about subconscious application to art and such) could be skipped if you really wanted to.
Interesting, I'm reading Civilization and its Discontents! Just a couple chapters in though. Similar to Jung, Freud gives insights but about the goal of life, the suppression of drives, relinquishing individual liberty, and religion as a mass delusion.
Sounds really nice! I actually never intended to like psychology, I only read this book because I had to make sure that I had an acceptable width of basic understanding (through wikipedia/living life and such) in psychology/namely archetypes because of something I'm writing. Now naturally I want to read some Freud too. We will see when I can make time.
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On June 05 2013 01:14 Brainsurgeon wrote:Show nested quote +On June 04 2013 19:04 packrat386 wrote:On June 04 2013 18:41 Brainsurgeon wrote:
Do you guys buy books or do you use a tablet? When I'm at uni or in general if I'm in a country where english is the official language I go to the library to get books. As is I'm in France atm so I buy books on my tablet. @TOCHMY: You can get some older ones for free through like project gutenberg and such. I think most many people pirate them.
On a related note - does anyone know if it is possible to print eBooks? I have no experience with neither tablets nor Kindle/Nook or anything remotely related, but i am dislike for low quality books has come to a point where i might aswell just print them myself, if it is going to be glue binded anyway.
Anyway:
Currently reading this one:
![[image loading]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/18/TheHandmaidsTale(1stEd).jpg/200px-TheHandmaidsTale(1stEd).jpg)
Not the greatest novel that i ever read, but it is fairly decent.
Next up is either The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke or Neuromancer by William Gibson. One of these is going to be my first real science fiction reads, so which one would you guys suggest?
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Just finished The Name of the Wind - flippin' fantastic.
I had a science fiction kick and read: The Time Machine, I, Robot, Rendezvous with Rama, and The Left Hand of Darkness. Classic science fiction doesn't seem to be 'my thing.' =\
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Just finishing up The Wind-up Bird Chronicle.. Murakami can be frustrating at times with all the repitition and slow moving plot, but some passages are just so so good (same goes for 1Q84 which I read first).
Next books (not sure what order I want to choose yet..)
Down and Out in Paris and London (Orwell)
Journey to the End of the Night (Céline)
The Long Goodbye (Chandler)
Infinite Jest (David Foster Wallace)
The Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky)
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On June 07 2013 04:46 Gatsbi wrote:
Just finishing up The Wind-up Bird Chronicle.. Murakami can be frustrating at times with all the repitition and slow moving plot, but some passages are just so so good (same goes for 1Q84 which I read first).
Next books (not sure what order I want to choose yet..)
Down and Out in Paris and London (Orwell)
Journey to the End of the Night (Céline)
The Long Goodbye (Chandler)
Infinite Jest (David Foster Wallace)
The Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky)
I absolutely love Murakami. If you haven't read Norwegian Wood you should I think it is his best work. Kafka on the Shore is also absolutely fantastic
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On June 07 2013 03:23 Prog455 wrote:Show nested quote +On June 05 2013 01:14 Brainsurgeon wrote:On June 04 2013 19:04 packrat386 wrote:On June 04 2013 18:41 Brainsurgeon wrote:
Do you guys buy books or do you use a tablet? When I'm at uni or in general if I'm in a country where english is the official language I go to the library to get books. As is I'm in France atm so I buy books on my tablet. @TOCHMY: You can get some older ones for free through like project gutenberg and such. I think most many people pirate them. On a related note - does anyone know if it is possible to print eBooks? I have no experience with neither tablets nor Kindle/Nook or anything remotely related, but i am dislike for low quality books has come to a point where i might aswell just print them myself, if it is going to be glue binded anyway. Next up is either The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke or Neuromancer by William Gibson. One of these is going to be my first real science fiction reads, so which one would you guys suggest?
Both are excellent sci-fi choices. While I enjoy Clarke immensely, the Fountains of Paradise can be a little dry at times. On the other hand, Neuromancer is one of my all time favorite books. Cyberpunk resonates with me on a level most other sci-fi doesn't, and Neuromancer is the definitive cyberpunk work.
Don't give up on Fountains though, I do suggest reading both.
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the Dagon Knight4004 Posts
On June 06 2013 14:09 p4NDemik wrote:Over the last couple weeks I've finished a few novels. The first was For Whom the Bell Tolls, which I enjoyed thoroughly though not as much as A Farewell to Arms. From there I shifted to Moneyball, which I somehow had put off reading for 10 years. By now it doesn't encompass anything mindblowing and I knew the story but the historical context of years of statistical analysis that MLB completely stonewalled was fascinating. + Show Spoiler [Currently tackling ...] +I'm just two essays in but it is drawing out chuckles at nearly every turn of the page. SirJolt, if you're browsing this thread, I appreciate the recommendation!
So very glad you're enjoying it. We should talk books more often, I think
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Anybody here read The Paris Review? I'm currently and reading through the Spring edition.
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I am reading a few books by the so called "Four Horsemen" who all wrote books bashing religion.
The End of Faith by Dr. Sam Harris
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
God Is Not Great by Christpher Hitchens
Very compelling stuff, really opened my eyes to a lot of things, even though I had already begun to question all the bullshit I was fed as a child, going to Church and CCD (basically Sunday school but on Saturday).
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On June 07 2013 12:19 BrainPaste wrote:
I am reading a few books by the so called "Four Horsemen" who all wrote books bashing religion.
The End of Faith by Dr. Sam Harris
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
God Is Not Great by Christpher Hitchens
Very compelling stuff, really opened my eyes to a lot of things, even though I had already begun to question all the bullshit I was fed as a child, going to Church and CCD (basically Sunday school but on Saturday).
Who's the fourth horseman? Salman Rushdie?
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Baa?21243 Posts
On June 07 2013 16:22 Brainsurgeon wrote:Show nested quote +On June 07 2013 12:19 BrainPaste wrote:
I am reading a few books by the so called "Four Horsemen" who all wrote books bashing religion.
The End of Faith by Dr. Sam Harris
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
God Is Not Great by Christpher Hitchens
Very compelling stuff, really opened my eyes to a lot of things, even though I had already begun to question all the bullshit I was fed as a child, going to Church and CCD (basically Sunday school but on Saturday). Who's the fourth horseman? Salman Rushdie?
Considering the other three are all non-fiction authors/books, I doubt it'd be Rushdie.
Google reveals: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Atheism
The term is commonly associated with individuals such as Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens (together called "the Four Horsemen of New Atheism" in a taped 2007 discussion they held on their criticisms of religion, a name that has stuck)
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On June 07 2013 17:07 Carnivorous Sheep wrote:Show nested quote +On June 07 2013 16:22 Brainsurgeon wrote:On June 07 2013 12:19 BrainPaste wrote:
I am reading a few books by the so called "Four Horsemen" who all wrote books bashing religion.
The End of Faith by Dr. Sam Harris
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
God Is Not Great by Christpher Hitchens
Very compelling stuff, really opened my eyes to a lot of things, even though I had already begun to question all the bullshit I was fed as a child, going to Church and CCD (basically Sunday school but on Saturday). Who's the fourth horseman? Salman Rushdie? Considering the other three are all non-fiction authors/books, I doubt it'd be Rushdie. Google reveals: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_AtheismShow nested quote +The term is commonly associated with individuals such as Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens (together called "the Four Horsemen of New Atheism" in a taped 2007 discussion they held on their criticisms of religion, a name that has stuck)
Thank you my friend. I have not read Daniel Dennett's book, which is why I said I am reading a "few" books by the Four Horsemen, and why I did not include his name.
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EPT![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/FqdWHZo.jpg)
