EPTAlso I'm interested in Piketty's "Capital in the 21st century", but there is no bulgarian translation so far. Usually I prefer to read in my native, but if there is no translation soon, I will start it in english.
What Are You Reading 2015 - Page 28
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Deleted User 26513
2376 Posts
Also I'm interested in Piketty's "Capital in the 21st century", but there is no bulgarian translation so far. Usually I prefer to read in my native, but if there is no translation soon, I will start it in english. | ||
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bookwyrm
United States722 Posts
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Jerubaal
United States7684 Posts
On May 27 2015 20:38 Pr0wler wrote: Recently I started "The broken empire" series and so far (1st book, 200ish pages) it looks decent. I read that the second and the third books are better. Is that true ? Also I'm interested in Piketty's "Capital in the 21st century", but there is no bulgarian translation so far. Usually I prefer to read in my native, but if there is no translation soon, I will start it in english. C'mon, you can do better than that. | ||
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bookwyrm
United States722 Posts
just curious what you mean. he's sort of a provocateur with a fragile ego but i think he's very interesting. I think much of what he says is very suspect but at the same time much of the criticism of him is also suspect and basically defensive. most of the conversation about his stuff just devolves into name-calling and chest thumping ![[image loading]](http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/articles/arts/books/2014/12/141201_BOOKS_EmpireCottonCOVER.jpg.CROP.original-original.jpg) | ||
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Paljas
Germany6926 Posts
On May 29 2015 11:36 bookwyrm wrote: just curious what you mean. he's sort of a provocateur with a fragile ego but i think he's very interesting. I think much of what he says is very suspect but at the same time much of the criticism of him is also suspect and basically defensive. most of the conversation about his stuff just devolves into name-calling and chest thumping so, he has his concept of (anti)fragility and stuff and then applies it at the field he is a specialist for, financial markets,.and he gets good results with, makes a shit ton of money with it and tells you that the whole system is fucked etc. not an exactly original conclusion, but you gotta appreciate the way he explains it and his well thought out idea behind it. thats the good half. he then randomly decides that he has to apply this concept to everything in the world and drifts into traditionalism, oversimplyfiying heuristics, questionable philosophy and bullshit life style advices (like not to eat fruit without a hebrew or oldgreek name, wtf). not only is this nonsense most of the time, but it also distracts from the actual causes of the systematic crisis of the systems he tries to describe. there are some good parts in this too, but yeah. plus, he has the biggest ego in the universe. not an actual reason to discredit him, but it become tiring to read him praise himself for 20 times. | ||
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bookwyrm
United States722 Posts
anyway thanks for elaborating. I don't agree but I can see why other people feel that way about it | ||
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Paljas
Germany6926 Posts
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bookwyrm
United States722 Posts
but i guess i'm probably someone who shares many of his character flaws so idk | ||
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babylon
8765 Posts
Hopefully it gets better. I consider myself a fairly laid-back reader, but it's just weak in all aspects at the moment: story, characterization, writing style ... | ||
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Spaylz
Japan1743 Posts
On May 27 2015 20:38 Pr0wler wrote: Recently I started "The broken empire" series and so far (1st book, 200ish pages) it looks decent. I read that the second and the third books are better. Is that true ? Also I'm interested in Piketty's "Capital in the 21st century", but there is no bulgarian translation so far. Usually I prefer to read in my native, but if there is no translation soon, I will start it in english. I don't know about the other two books, but I did read Prince of Thorns all the way through. It's okay. Nothing outstanding, not really up to par with some of the better fantasy novels out there at the moment (asoiaf/discworld/etc), but it's okay. I couldn't bring myself to read the second book just yet though. The series pictures itself as very grim, violent and dark, but sometimes I feel like it tries a little too hard. Mostly I feel like ther is a lack of character development, but I guess we can't have it like in asoiaf with every other book. Currently reading Blood Song by Anthony Ryan. Well, reading the French version, as it was translated by a colleague of mine. It's very classic fantasy stuff, but it's actually surprisingly good. I recommend it. I think you might like it better than Broken Empire. | ||
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PhoenixVoid
Canada32742 Posts
On June 06 2015 07:21 Spaylz wrote: I don't know about the other two books, but I did read Prince of Thorns all the way through. It's okay. Nothing outstanding, not really up to par with some of the better fantasy novels out there at the moment (asoiaf/discworld/etc), but it's okay. I couldn't bring myself to read the second book just yet though. The series pictures itself as very grim, violent and dark, but sometimes I feel like it tries a little too hard. Mostly I feel like ther is a lack of character development, but I guess we can't have it like in asoiaf with every other book. Currently reading Blood Song by Anthony Ryan. Well, reading the French version, as it was translated by a colleague of mine. It's very classic fantasy stuff, but it's actually surprisingly good. I recommend it. I think you might like it better than Broken Empire. I gave Prince of Thorns a read but it bored me greatly. Felt like edgy teen fiction with not much substance. Each book being around 200-300 pages gives it the impression they don't leave much room for worldbuilding or detailed character development. | ||
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ticklishmusic
United States15977 Posts
Plenty of elements that I'm a sucker for like ridiculous metaphors and similes, and lots of banter. The plot twists and turns are quite good as well, and going through the books shows how Butcher's prose has improved over time. All I can say is that they're really solidly written books. | ||
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JimmyJRaynor
Canada16896 Posts
self reliance and the responsible life. http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Responsibility-Self-Reliance-Accountable-Life/dp/0684832488 a major message to his patients and lecture attendees is "no one is coming to the rescue". a woman put up her hand to rebuttal this comment at a lecture and she said "but Dr. Branden.. you came". Branden replied, "i've come to tell you that no one is coming..." | ||
thedeadhaji
39489 Posts
On March 01 2015 07:58 bookwyrm wrote: Philip dick is the american kafka Wow that has demystified my dissatisfaction with PKD entirely. Kudos man. ---------------------- Finished reading "Status Anxieny" by Alain de Botton and "Zero to One". IMO they are both solid applied philosophy books. | ||
CosmicSpiral
United States15275 Posts
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helpman176
128 Posts
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ZenithM
France15952 Posts
On May 27 2015 20:38 Pr0wler wrote: Recently I started "The broken empire" series and so far (1st book, 200ish pages) it looks decent. I read that the second and the third books are better. Is that true ? Also I'm interested in Piketty's "Capital in the 21st century", but there is no bulgarian translation so far. Usually I prefer to read in my native, but if there is no translation soon, I will start it in english. One of the main appeals of The Broken Empire series is the writing. Definitely one of the better writing style among fantasy authors. If that has no impact on your reading experience I would think the series becomes a bit more average, especially when compared to things like The Kingkiller Chronicle :D. And I found the 2 following books were as good as the first (that is to say, excellent). First book gets rated lower because a lot of people don't like/understand the excessive violence/grimdark/whatever and want more world building or character development, and just stop there, missing the point. If you don't like the first book, I doubt you'll like the next 2. I just finished the first 2 books of the Raven's Shadow series (Anthony Ryan) "Blood Song" and "Tower Lord" ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/2RT64lN.png?1) Enjoyable read, but I was a bit disappointed by the characters in the second book: + Show Spoiler + My biggest gripe is that too many Vaelin-type badass flawless characters popped up at once in tome 2. I can very well indulge one exceptional being (exceptional mind, fighting ability, leadership, empathy, you name it), I always enjoy reading about exceptional characters, but every new POV character in this sequel is equally gifted and flawless. Every POV character becomes kind of the same super fighter, super leader, flawless charismatic human being, regardless of their history and without much difference other than their location in the world :D. | ||
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Laserist
Turkey4269 Posts
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bookwyrm
United States722 Posts
On June 07 2015 16:26 helpman176 wrote: There is hardly a greater blasphemy than comparing Dick with Kafka. you're right. Dick is way better. sorry phil | ||
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babylon
8765 Posts
I remember enjoying GRRM at one point, but I can no longer for the life of me figure out why. I admired his tight plotting in the first three books but did not enjoy his writing style, his characters, or the, er, "theme" of the series, which seems to boil down to, "Life sucks, people die, get over it." (Forgive me if it was more complicated; it's been years, and I still haven't read the latest book.) Realism, texture, and gray morality are all elements associated with the genre, but at the same time, they aren't restricted solely to that genre. Ultimate hopelessness, to some degree, is -- but at the same time, even grimdark series must end, and the very existence of an ending suggests to me that there must be some light at the end of the tunnel, even if it is nowhere near as happy as an Everyone Lives ending. Perhaps I am approaching these books the wrong way, but when I read a grimdark book, I go into it expecting a resolution, a solution to the problem posed, and so I read grimdark books mostly as, "Everything gets worse before it gets better." But I still expect things to get better in the end. At which point, is it just the suffering of the story's middle that becomes the most relevant? Is Hobb dark? I have never thought her as a writer of grimdark or even dark fantasy, but all the Fitz books sure are gritty, unhappy, gray, textured, and realistic. (Thoughts brought on by playing too much Dragon Age: Origins, which for all its bruhaha grimdark setting, can totally be turned into a idealistic high fantasy.) Also, Mary Renault still sucks. I've resorted to reading just the dialogue in the book; I don't think I've had to do this since my attempt at Jordan's Wheel of Time. | ||
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