What Are You Reading?

A place where you can chat about anything that isn't to do with games!
User avatar
Rob
Posts: 8075
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 12:58 am

Re: What Are You Reading?

Post by Rob »

EmperorIng wrote:I've tried harder to be more active in reading books, and give my brain some much-needed nourishment from the wasteland that is the internet. I've already read two books this year, which is two more than I read last year.
Yeah. I read nothing for so many years. Makes me quite sad thinking about it. Going for the book a week challenge this year, which is pretty easy with no TV or movies.
Finally, I am going to try to take on something I have wanted to do for years, which is read Moby Dick.
I read this earlier this year when I was sick and thought life couldn't get much worse so might as well read Moby Dick. Good luck. :wink:
User avatar
EmperorIng
Posts: 5065
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2012 3:22 am
Location: Chicago, IL

Re: What Are You Reading?

Post by EmperorIng »

Ha ha, my life could stand many grades of improvement, so I might as well read Moby Dick!
User avatar
wgogh
Posts: 535
Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2016 5:01 am
Location: Brazil

Re: What Are You Reading?

Post by wgogh »

I've read Moby Dick few years ago. It is basically half fiction, half in deep instructions for whale hunting.
I've read It was inspired by Poe's Gordon Pym and the two deal with the fear for the white colour. Funny that later Lovecraft did Mountains of Madness, so his book and Moby Dick share the same source of inspiration but couldnt be more different from each other.
Image
User avatar
wgogh
Posts: 535
Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2016 5:01 am
Location: Brazil

Re: What Are You Reading?

Post by wgogh »

Aminal Farm by George Orwell. Like 1984, you can feel his pessimism through all the novel. If no one knows exactly the class that the donkey Benjamin represents, he may even be Orwell himself; "Life would go on as it had always gone on — that is, badly". That is also why happy endings in the film versions of the book dont fit Orwell's work.
Image
User avatar
Obiwanshinobi
Posts: 7463
Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2009 1:14 am

Re: What Are You Reading?

Post by Obiwanshinobi »

wgogh wrote:I've read Moby Dick few years ago. It is basically half fiction, half in deep instructions for whale hunting.
I've read It was inspired by Poe's Gordon Pym and the two deal with the fear for the white colour. Funny that later Lovecraft did Mountains of Madness, so his book and Moby Dick share the same source of inspiration but couldnt be more different from each other.
You might wanna try reading Le Sphinx des glaces next.

Image

Quite the prototype fan-fiction, this (predating A Strange Discovery, apparently). Left some peculiar footprints in Russian literature as well.
The rear gate is closed down
The way out is cut off

Image
User avatar
wgogh
Posts: 535
Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2016 5:01 am
Location: Brazil

Re: What Are You Reading?

Post by wgogh »

Good call, Im very fond of those expedition literature, fiction or not.
Image
User avatar
Rob
Posts: 8075
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 12:58 am

Re: What Are You Reading?

Post by Rob »

Feasting at the library. All good stuff. Some nature writing, history, anthropology.

Image

Alaska Wilderness - Robert Marshall
Reflections from the North Country - Sigurd Olson
Travels and Other Writings - William Bartram
From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life - Jacques Barzun
The Fatal Environment: The Myth of the Frontier in the Age of Industrialization, 1800-1890 - Richard Slotkin
User avatar
Ko.oS
Posts: 192
Joined: Mon Mar 20, 2006 1:14 am

Re: Why Are You Raeding?

Post by Ko.oS »

Image

&

Image

&

Image

also
Image
(couldnae find the french version, so i went with the italian one)
User avatar
ED-057
Posts: 1560
Joined: Fri Jan 28, 2005 7:21 am
Location: USH

Re: What Are You Reading?

Post by ED-057 »

Image
It took me 20 years but I was finally able to hold my nose for long enough to figure out how to do audio without programming the hardware directly (and some other things).
User avatar
soprano1
Posts: 3029
Joined: Wed Sep 18, 2013 4:44 pm
Location: Portugal

Re: What Are You Reading?

Post by soprano1 »

"In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
Very interesting experience reading this. Better than my previous book, the wacky "Baudolino" by Umberto Eco.
ChurchOfSolipsism wrote:I'll make sure I'll download it illegally one day...
User avatar
GaijinPunch
Posts: 15646
Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2005 11:22 pm
Location: San Fransicso

Re: What Are You Reading?

Post by GaijinPunch »

I tried one book by Umberto Eco. Never again.

I only read Breakfast at Tiffany's (and like 25 years ago at that) by Capote, but I recall it being good. If you've not seen the film starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman you are doing yourself a disservice.
RegalSin wrote:New PowerPuff Girls. They all have evil pornstart eyelashes.
User avatar
soprano1
Posts: 3029
Joined: Wed Sep 18, 2013 4:44 pm
Location: Portugal

Re: What Are You Reading?

Post by soprano1 »

GaijinPunch wrote:I tried one book by Umberto Eco. Never again.

I only read Breakfast at Tiffany's (and like 25 years ago at that) by Capote, but I recall it being good. If you've not seen the film starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman you are doing yourself a disservice.
I actually saw Capote about a year ago or so. It was nice indeed, and I would recommend it as companion piece with the book. Didn't read Breakfast at Tiffany's, but saw the movie recently and liked it.
As for Eco, I kinda liked Name of the Rose, but I'm biased towards the theme of medieval mysteries, so...
ChurchOfSolipsism wrote:I'll make sure I'll download it illegally one day...
User avatar
Rob
Posts: 8075
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 12:58 am

Re: What Are You Reading?

Post by Rob »

Image

1400 pgs. that could uncuck a Canadian. Haven't finished it all, but seriously great so far. Gotta love history written before the era of mass effeminization.
User avatar
Ko.oS
Posts: 192
Joined: Mon Mar 20, 2006 1:14 am

Re: What, You Are Reading?

Post by Ko.oS »

Image

comes with a nice audio-book.
User avatar
Axelay
Posts: 178
Joined: Sat Nov 02, 2013 12:22 am
Location: united kingdom

Re: What Are You Reading?

Post by Axelay »

EmperorIng wrote:I've tried harder to be more active in reading books, and give my brain some much-needed nourishment from the wasteland that is the internet. I've already read two books this year, which is two more than I read last year. :mrgreen:

I finally finished The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. I think I've had this on my shelf since I was just starting high-school. I bought it, and tried a few times to read it, but it mostly sat there for well over a decade. I figured this would be a good place to start, since the story itself is only 60 pages, which meant that even a slacker like me could manage it. I am glad I finally got to give myself such a silly, strange, and sad story. I wasn't expecting the misery and pathos of the main-character-cum-dung-beetle to come across as strongly as he did. There is a certain humor in a man who is a sniveling insect becomes a sniveling insect, but a certain sadness as he finally becomes the life he led, to the dismay and horror of his uncaring family.
I had to read Metamorphosis for my first year of university a great book!
I had fun arguing with my lecturer, I tried to convince her that the main character became disabled and that him becoming a bug was a metaphor.

I also read Kurt Vonnegut ! But it was mother night a great melancholy book I highly recommend it .
From what you posted catch 22 sounds great I will have to read it !

Do you have a picture of the of the leather bound Moby dick ? Please show it I love seeing different editions. I work in a book store so me being in this thread is dangerous .
I got half way through Moby dick and then decided to come back and read it with a old dictionary !
Arms installation complete Good luck
User avatar
ryu
Posts: 1879
Joined: Mon May 31, 2010 6:43 pm
Contact:

Re: What Are You Reading?

Post by ryu »

Nice timing for this to be brought back up...

Image

The Mega Man novel is... not good. As far I can tell after 50 pages. It was advertized as a new interpretation of the story, so I had some hopes they had properly adapted the game's story into novel format, but that's not the case. The subtitle says it all. Each chapter describes X fighting a boss. There doesn't seem to be much of a story to read here. It's more like the script to a very mediocre action anime. :|

Ishiguro won this year's Nobel price in literature and someone on hacker news called it the greates account of the human condition ever written. How'd that lead me to surmise that this would be a good read? :lol: It's strenuous to read with little to no entertainment value, on one hand, on the other it so far isn't a very interesting story and it seems that doesn't ever change. The protagonist just keeps encountering random people that give him headaches and there's no end to it.
blog - scores - collection
Don't worry about it. You can travel from the Milky Way to Andromeda and back 1500 times before the sun explodes.
User avatar
Rob
Posts: 8075
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 12:58 am

Re: What Are You Reading?

Post by Rob »

ryu wrote:the greates account of the human condition ever written.
The protagonist just keeps encountering random people that give him headaches and there's no end to it.
Seems about right.
User avatar
wgogh
Posts: 535
Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2016 5:01 am
Location: Brazil

Re: What Are You Reading?

Post by wgogh »

Axelay wrote:
EmperorIng wrote:Do you have a picture of the of the leather bound Moby dick ? Please show it I love seeing different editions. I work in a book store so me being in this thread is dangerous .
I got half way through Moby dick and then decided to come back and read it with a old dictionary !
I'll show you my edition then! I like the cover and the old fashioned feel. I'm dont want to read all over again just now, but lately I feel compeled to the story, so I'll try to watch the Gregory Peck film. Anyway, from the collection, I'm also showing the book I'm currently reading! (I think I've already mentioned my love for Kafka on this thread)

Image
Image
User avatar
BrianC
Posts: 8859
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 1:33 am
Location: MD

Re: What Are You Reading?

Post by BrianC »

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
User avatar
soprano1
Posts: 3029
Joined: Wed Sep 18, 2013 4:44 pm
Location: Portugal

Re: What Are You Reading?

Post by soprano1 »

Finished Ernest Emingway's "For Whom The Bells Toll". Very good, hits many things right, and has some very funny and tragic characters.
ChurchOfSolipsism wrote:I'll make sure I'll download it illegally one day...
User avatar
rapoon
Posts: 853
Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2007 11:58 pm
Location: Dallas, Texas

Re: What Are You Reading?

Post by rapoon »

soprano1 wrote:Finished Ernest Emingway's "For Whom The Bells Toll". Very good, hits many things right, and has some very funny and tragic characters.

I wrapped up 'A Moveable Feast' recently. was great; far calmer than 'For Whom The Bell Tolls'.



currently reading:
Blindsight - Hard SciFi by Author/Biologist Peter Watts. So far it's excellent but not an easy read.
The Fisherman - Cosmic Horror. recommended for Lovecraft fans.
House of Leaves - I can't ingest anything longer than 1-2 hour doses of this at a time, and it's not out of boredom... Absolutely brilliant.
Last edited by rapoon on Fri Jan 12, 2018 7:42 pm, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
wgogh
Posts: 535
Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2016 5:01 am
Location: Brazil

Re: What Are You Reading?

Post by wgogh »

ON THE ROAD - Jack Kerouac

The classic. As I've already read some Kerouac books, I missed his trademark writing on this one. He is not by any means the most likeble character, but he gives an interesting perspective of people and places around him. Kind of too sad to call it an adventure book. I'll keep the book next to William Burroughs's Naked Lunch. Now I only need Ginsberg's The Howl to complete the trilogy.
Last edited by wgogh on Mon Jan 15, 2018 6:03 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Image
User avatar
NYN
Posts: 508
Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2014 8:33 am
Location: Akedò

Re: What Are You Reading?

Post by NYN »

PKD.
After Do Androids years ago and The Man in the High Castle most recently, I picked Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said in search of more quirky stuff. The title alone is a fine pointer. Since his work gets adapted for film and Tv, I wanted some that has as of yet not the potential to get mixed with water to make it more feasible. Smack in the middle of the first chapter I was grinning, hard. Set in a 1988, this doesn't strike me as particularly sf.
"I've transmuted into a super being. I'll proof it by killing you." -NGIII ( words to kill by )
User avatar
wgogh
Posts: 535
Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2016 5:01 am
Location: Brazil

Re: What Are You Reading?

Post by wgogh »

Image
That will keep me busy. I'm completing my Lovecraft collection (I'm sure you can figure it out the english titles). The new addition is "Medo à Espreita", that is a collection of short stories; it has Dagon and Shadow of Innsmouth included. Lovecraft was never about the characters or the stories themselves, but the atmosphere and prose poem. And of course, his own mythology. They are selling a big collection now, but I like the idea of having a bunch of pocket books.
Image
User avatar
rapoon
Posts: 853
Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2007 11:58 pm
Location: Dallas, Texas

Re: What Are You Reading?

Post by rapoon »

wgogh wrote: That will keep me busy. I'm completing my Lovecraft collection (I'm sure you can figure it out the english titles). The new addition is "Medo à Espreita", that is a collection of short stories; it has Dagon and Shadow of Innsmouth included. Lovecraft was never about the characters or the stories themselves, but the atmosphere and prose poem. And of course, his own mythology. They are selling a big collection now, but I like the idea of having a bunch of pocket books.
I initially went the same route you're going, buying individual stories or small compilations, but ended up getting the complete collection you referenced. Do you have 'Dream Cycle' in your collection yet? Absent much of the mythos, it shows a side of Lovecraft that has been ignored for the most part, by pop-culture.
User avatar
wgogh
Posts: 535
Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2016 5:01 am
Location: Brazil

Re: What Are You Reading?

Post by wgogh »

rapoon wrote:
wgogh wrote: That will keep me busy. I'm completing my Lovecraft collection (I'm sure you can figure it out the english titles). The new addition is "Medo à Espreita", that is a collection of short stories; it has Dagon and Shadow of Innsmouth included. Lovecraft was never about the characters or the stories themselves, but the atmosphere and prose poem. And of course, his own mythology. They are selling a big collection now, but I like the idea of having a bunch of pocket books.
I initially went the same route you're going, buying individual stories or small compilations, but ended up getting the complete collection you referenced. Do you have 'Dream Cycle' in your collection yet? Absent much of the mythos, it shows a side of Lovecraft that has been ignored for the most part, by pop-culture.
I think I have four stories from the Dream Cycle; the Hound, the Outsider, the White Ship and Beyond the Wall of Sleep. I am yet to read it though. There might be more on the next book that I'll buy.
Image
User avatar
soprano1
Posts: 3029
Joined: Wed Sep 18, 2013 4:44 pm
Location: Portugal

Re: What Are You Reading?

Post by soprano1 »

Speaking of Lovecraft, just finished listening to "The Shadow Over Innsmouth", narrated by Richard Coyle from BBC Radio 4. Brilliantly done, just like his reading of "At The Mountains Of Madness".
You can freely download the first from here: https://archive.org/download/BBCRadio4T ... rInnsmouth
The second can be bought or freely streamed here: http://store.ladbrokeradio.com/album/at ... of-madness
ChurchOfSolipsism wrote:I'll make sure I'll download it illegally one day...
User avatar
soprano1
Posts: 3029
Joined: Wed Sep 18, 2013 4:44 pm
Location: Portugal

Re: What Are You Reading?

Post by soprano1 »

soprano1 wrote:Speaking of Lovecraft, just finished listening to "The Shadow Over Innsmouth", narrated by Richard Coyle from BBC Radio 4. Brilliantly done, just like his reading of "At The Mountains Of Madness".
You can freely download the first from here: https://archive.org/download/BBCRadio4T ... rInnsmouth
The second can be bought or freely streamed here: http://store.ladbrokeradio.com/album/at ... of-madness
Speaking of audiobooks, is there anyone that could point me to a good, free reading of "Nyarlathotep"? Thank you.
ChurchOfSolipsism wrote:I'll make sure I'll download it illegally one day...
User avatar
GaijinPunch
Posts: 15646
Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2005 11:22 pm
Location: San Fransicso

Re: What Are You Reading?

Post by GaijinPunch »

I read Ubik & A Scanner Darkly recently. Enjoyed the former far more. I've still not been able to emerse myself in Dick's writing style, which is probably why when I read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep some 25 years ago, I didn't care for it, as I was an even shittier reader then than I am now. Might come back to his other stuff, but those seem to be rated as his best, so not sure what that means for the others.

Going to read 2 non fiction books next, as they should be easy to rip through
Exposure about the Olympus scandal I'm about a 3rd of the way through. If you've not worked with Japanese in a business setting much, or dealt with Japanese bureaucracy in general the contents might be a bit shocking. Some things are probably exaggerated a bit but most of the outlandish stuff I have no problem believing.

True Crime Japan I've read a chapter of in the Kindle Book sample, and is about as fucked up as I'd expect it to be. All those weird stories from rural Japan that you hear? This is a documented look at them, by a western journalist, that sat in on their court hearings. While the contents of each case are outlandish and maybe shocking, I'm hoping to get a good analysis of the legal procedures which are far different in that backwards cuntry.
RegalSin wrote:New PowerPuff Girls. They all have evil pornstart eyelashes.
User avatar
Skykid
Posts: 17646
Joined: Sun Nov 18, 2007 2:16 pm
Location: Planet Dust Asia

Re: What Are You Reading?

Post by Skykid »

Just finished Ready Player One as I thought I should get it done before seeing the movie - and glad I did. It's a sort of childish, self-indulgent roller coaster of 80s nostalgia that the author clearly wrote for and about himself, but at the same time it's a genuinely fun page turner that improves as it goes on and has some enjoyably dark dystopian vibes and asks the question of whether virtual reality is really superior to actual reality.

Recommended before you see the film, although if you're born in the 90s some of the million references might go over your head.
Always outnumbered, never outgunned - No zuo no die

Post Reply