I just did Walden and I was satisfied with it.
Beyond Good and Evil - Nietzsche
I just did Walden and I was satisfied with it.
In what way?
I just did Walden and I was satisfied with it.
In what way?
I enjoyed reading it. He is quirky, articulate about complex things, and first hand account a period of history. The style of writing was friendly and he has a particular way with words and made me feel like I was wrapped up in a blanket on a brisk fall day. It was easy to read but endlessly complex.
Eoin Colfer's And another thing...
Eoin Colfer's And another thing...
I love Eoin Colfer. I really like the Artemis Fowl series, despite them being for young teenagers. He has a wonderful writing style and is genuinely original.
I liked it but I thought it was a little to linear for a hitchhikers guide book.Eoin Colfer's And another thing...
I love Eoin Colfer. I really like the Artemis Fowl series, despite them being for young teenagers. He has a wonderful writing style and is genuinely original.
Never read any of his work up until And another thing... and I have to say it's miles ahead of Douglas Adams' last one Mostly Harmless. The only thing I would say for book 7 of 3 is to cut down on the guide notes a bit
Foundation and Empire.
Foundation and Empire.
Though a classic example of Globularist fantasy literature, the Foundation series is a great read.
I liked it but I thought it was a little to linear for a hitchhikers guide book.
Make Love! The Bruce Campbell Way!
I love Bruce, and finally got my hands on this book. He writes how he talks. I love it.
The bits with space travel, planets and a spiral shaped galaxy all contradict FET. He's a great writer; I'm just pointing out that it's based on globu-science.
Rereading the Scarlet Letter. i adore the writing style.
i'm trying to get my hands on a novel called lovely bones.
i heard it was equally delectable. anyone know of a good read they can recommend? no nonfiction s'il te pla?t.
The Trivium: The Liberal Arts of Logic, Grammar, and Rhetoric
By: Sister Miriam Joseph, C.S.C, P.H.D
Didn't everyone die at the end of the Hitchhiker series?
Anyway, I'm reading Life of Pi by Yann Martel for the second time. Although this:The Trivium: The Liberal Arts of Logic, Grammar, and Rhetoric
By: Sister Miriam Joseph, C.S.C, P.H.D
I must say, sounds interesting.
I need a new book, or I'm going to end up reading Mr B Gone again, for like the fifth time.
Any suggestions?
I'm reading Terry Pratchett's Reaper Man.
Just finished Eisenhower, A Soldier's Life by Carlo D'Este, Eisenhower's life up to the end of WW II, very informative especially the squabbles amongst the Allies. Now I've picked up The Seekers by Daniel Boorstin which was a gift but has been hanging around unread for a few years.
I always like spy stories. I'll look for it. :)
David Mitchell's Number9Dream. This is my third Mitchell book in a row, and it's amazing how they're all somehow linked. Often subtly, but always linked, even though they're set hundreds of years apart from eachother and in different parts of the world.
David Mitchell's Number9Dream. This is my third Mitchell book in a row, and it's amazing how they're all somehow linked. Often subtly, but always linked, even though they're set hundreds of years apart from eachother and in different parts of the world.
Is there a guy named Cid in each one?!
David Mitchell's Number9Dream. This is my third Mitchell book in a row, and it's amazing how they're all somehow linked. Often subtly, but always linked, even though they're set hundreds of years apart from eachother and in different parts of the world.
Is there a guy named Cid in each one?!
EVEN BETTER!
Then isnt he playing a similar role?David Mitchell's Number9Dream. This is my third Mitchell book in a row, and it's amazing how they're all somehow linked. Often subtly, but always linked, even though they're set hundreds of years apart from eachother and in different parts of the world.
Is there a guy named Cid in each one?!
EVEN BETTER!
I always thought that Final Fantasy games were like Quantum Leap. Cid is in every single one, always playing a different role, and usually always 'tied' to an airship.
Then isnt he playing a similar role?David Mitchell's Number9Dream. This is my third Mitchell book in a row, and it's amazing how they're all somehow linked. Often subtly, but always linked, even though they're set hundreds of years apart from eachother and in different parts of the world.
Is there a guy named Cid in each one?!
EVEN BETTER!
I always thought that Final Fantasy games were like Quantum Leap. Cid is in every single one, always playing a different role, and usually always 'tied' to an airship.
Then isnt he playing a similar role?David Mitchell's Number9Dream. This is my third Mitchell book in a row, and it's amazing how they're all somehow linked. Often subtly, but always linked, even though they're set hundreds of years apart from eachother and in different parts of the world.
Is there a guy named Cid in each one?!
EVEN BETTER!
I always thought that Final Fantasy games were like Quantum Leap. Cid is in every single one, always playing a different role, and usually always 'tied' to an airship.
I just read a hundred pages of Songs Of Susannah last night. I was shocked. I just ogt a reading lamp for my bed, and i sat down and started reading, and next thing i know its 11 and i burned through about 100 pages. I was proud of myself.
hehe. Slog. Cute.I just read a hundred pages of Songs Of Susannah last night. I was shocked. I just ogt a reading lamp for my bed, and i sat down and started reading, and next thing i know its 11 and i burned through about 100 pages. I was proud of myself.
Books 6 and 7 are a bit of a slog, but I'm glad I finished them. And I didn't think the ending was as bad as everyone else did.
I just finished Under The Dome a couple days ago. Not King's best novel but generally solid. He managed to avoid his patented great-premise-stupid-ending formula.
I think I'm going to read The Road or Blood Meridian next. I've never read anything by Cormac McCarthy before and people keep telling me how great he is.
I think I'm going to read The Road or Blood Meridian next. I've never read anything by Cormac McCarthy before and people keep telling me how great he is.
I'm reading Terry Pratchett's Reaper Man.
The Illearth War.
Dunno who its by because I just started reading it, but its part 2 of the Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever trilogy (?, again). I have part 3, but I cannot find part 1 anywhere.
The cool thing is, there's a huge recap of the first book in the first chapter (And a recap chapter before that) so I don't really feel like I'm missing out on much but the juice.
It's pretty good so far and I'm not even to the part where Covenant goes to this magical land where his leprosy is cured and he doesn't believe in anything there.
Shawshank Redemption the movie > the book er... short story.I quit trying to read this, as my head is not ready for it yet.
And yes, i heard Morgan Freeman the entire time i was reading it. I love is voice. I wanna kiss him
Now i am going to attempt to read a grown-em-up book
Steven Pinker
Blank Slate - The Modern Denial Of Human Nature
Much Ado About NothingHave you read Not Much Ado About Nothing?
I might just watch the movie then.
Why Good People Do Bad Things: Understanding Our Darker Selves by James Hollis.
It's pretty interesting, even if I don't agree with it.
Why Good People Do Bad Things: Understanding Our Darker Selves by James Hollis.
It's pretty interesting, even if I don't agree with it.
Psychology book? I feel like I've read excerpts from that in some of my classes.
How to win friends and influence people. you read it?
Why Good People Do Bad Things: Understanding Our Darker Selves by James Hollis.
It's pretty interesting, even if I don't agree with it.
Psychology book? I feel like I've read excerpts from that in some of my classes.
I was reading The Little Book of Atheist Spirituality by Andre Comte-Sponville, but it wasn't really holding my attention. I might move on to Carl Sagan's The Demon-Haunted World next.
...and Arcadia by Tom Stoppard (which was brilliant). ...
I started War and Peace not so long ago, I'm almost ten pages in now. Woo...
*cries because it's so long and dense*
I started War and Peace not so long ago, I'm almost ten pages in now. Woo...
*cries because it's so long and dense*
I finished it but that was back when I thought there was a rule in place about finishing a book.
...and Arcadia by Tom Stoppard (which was brilliant). ...
I saw that on Broadway on my very first trip to New York long ago and now I can't remember too much of the plot.
Always said I'd eventually read the series to justify buying that book =)
We should have had a DT reading group. I love that series, it's probably been long enough since I read them that I could read them again.
Finished The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins awhile ago. Am now reading God Is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens.
Yeah, I've been wanting to check out Eoin Colfer for a while now since he wrote that new Hitchhiker's Guide book. Want to make sure I like him before he ruins my experience with the best book series in history.
Jingo by Terry Pratchett.
Jingo by Terry Pratchett.
One of my favourite Pratchetts. Is it your first read?
Jingo by Terry Pratchett.
One of my favourite Pratchetts. Is it your first read?
Yup. I'm slowly but surely working my way through the Discworld series in order. Only read the first couple in each 'sequence', but I've been waiting to read Jingo for ages, as several people have told me it's great.
Been engrossed in the first three volumes of Neil Gaiman's Sandman comics
Also reading flatland.
The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution, by Richard Dawkins
Difficult read.
Just finished The tennis Star's Balls by Stephen Fry and started reading Ringworld by Larry Niven
Read it a while ago. Not super great, he wrote it really fast for some money.Just finished The tennis Star's Balls by Stephen Fry and started reading Ringworld by Larry Niven
I liked Ringworld.
I'm reading A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess.
Freakonomics by Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt.My economics teacher told us a lot about that in her class, Do drug dealers live with their mom? Throughout the course we keep bringing up the profitablity and inelasticity of (can't spell heronine so bear with me I'm going Phonetic) HAIR-o-Win.
Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media (1988), by Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky.
Irecentlyfinished Counting Heads by David Marusek. I need to get my hands on the next book, and I attempted to read The Space Opera Renaissance but it was much too thick to finish in the librarys one week checkout time.
The Overton Window by Glenn Beck.
I have just purchased The Dreaming Void by Peter F. Hamilton. I plan to start reading it tonight.
Half way through The Ringworld EngineersMy brothers reading that. Now I think. He might be done. He reads too fast.
Let the Right One In, english translation, John Ajbide Lindqvist
Let the Right One In, english translation, John Ajbide Lindqvist
Ahh ,loved the film of that book
The Evolutionary Void - Peter F. Hamilton
The Evolutionary Void - Peter F. Hamilton
I'm reading The Dreaming Void!
Or, I was...
It's the last book I bought, it was good, but I just haven't been in a book reading mood x.x
I finally finished Tolstoy's War and Peace. This is noteworthy as it is the only book on my shelves I had not read in entirety.
DRACULA! by Bram Stoker.Been planning on reading it, but haven't found the, uh.. time for it.
DRACULA! by Bram Stoker.Been planning on reading it, but haven't found the, uh.. time for it.
I can't believe I were able to finish Frankenstein, seeing as I'm not someone who usually read books.
Same here.DRACULA! by Bram Stoker.Been planning on reading it, but haven't found the, uh.. time for it.
I can't believe I were able to finish Frankenstein, seeing as I'm not someone who usually read books.
Every film adaptation Ive seen has been so different I wanted to find out what the real story was.
What a coincidence, i've read lately "Sourcery", and now i'm with "(Faust) Eric".
Right now, I am reading three compendiums(compendia? compendii?) on purifying sewage and sewer water. I also have a book to read on the same subject, called The Art of Purifying Water. When the nuclear apocalypse rolls over, you'll be happy I'm there to provide you with clean drinking water.
Right now, I am reading three compendiums(compendia? compendii?) on purifying sewage and sewer water. I also have a book to read on the same subject, called The Art of Purifying Water. When the nuclear apocalypse rolls over, you'll be happy I'm there to provide you with clean drinking water.
What. Why?
I'm in the process of reading Misquoting Jesus: The Story of Who Changed the Bible and Why (http://www.amazon.com/Misquoting-Jesus-Story-Behind-Changed/dp/0060738170) for the first time and reading Philip K. Dick's VALIS for about the 10th time. They actually work well together, as the idea of Gnostic Christianity (a topic I find really interesting) pops up frequently in both books. Misquoting Jesus is a bit dry, I guess, but it seems quite thorough and well-researched. And it doesn't really have an agenda, which is nice.Longest hyper-link evar, also "Mere Christianity" C.S. Lewis, much more interesting than I thought it would be.
(http://www.amazon.com/Valis-Philip-K-Dick/dp/0679734465/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1298338960&sr=1-1)
Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five.. I really enjoy SF so far.
I plan to start Gal?pagos soon.
All right...
I'm going to try and read Moby-Dick with the aid of an audiobook companion. I'm not sure how successful I'll be.
All right...
I'm going to try and read Moby-Dick with the aid of an audiobook companion. I'm not sure how successful I'll be.
I read that. It sucks.
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut.
What I've read of it was pretty good, though it might have been because I pictured Captain Ahab as patrick Stewart!
I'm reading Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil for the first time. Wow.
Just fiished Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I also decided to read the epilogue, so I am now sad. :'(
What I've read of it was pretty good, though it might have been because I pictured Captain Ahab as patrick Stewart!
'Ahab' looks like 'Arab' so he's an Arab.
I'm reading Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil for the first time. Wow.
I'm reading Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil for the first time. Wow.
Dude, amazing book! Watch out though, he's a very persuasive writer - make sure you consider the broader implications of his ideas. Gotta say though, I've always preferred the semi-ironic presentation of those ideas in Thus Spoke Zarathustra. I say semi-ironic, because I think it's clear he enjoyed the revelatory aspect of it.
I've basically been re-reading Plato and Aristotle for the past month, though the Poetics was new to me. Going to start on Nietzsche's The Birth of Tragedy this weekend, which should be fun. It's been a while since I last enjoyed of his inimitable writing style.
Why the hell doesn't Cormac McCarthy use punctuation?
A More Perfect Constitution by Larry J Sabato
Adrian Galilio
Even though I've taken a break from that to read books for class, it's pretty good. At first, I disagreed with almost all his points, but within halfway through the first chapter I'm starting to agree with a lot more of his ideas. It's a good book that could lead to some interesting debates.A More Perfect Constitution by Larry J Sabato
Just researched this real quick. It sounds thoroughly interesting.
Still War and Peace. I've broken the 100-page mark now though, so it's smooth sailing now.
Still War and Peace. I've broken the 100-page mark now though, so it's smooth sailing now.
I finished it relatively recently -- it might be the only book I have ever had to try multiple times to get all the way through.
Philip K. Dick was always better at coming up with good ideas than executing them well. He had a brilliant imagination, but in general the only thing duller than his characters is his prose. That's perhaps a bit harsh, but I just don't think he's a great writer in stylistic terms.
Also, I haven't read American Gods, but I hear it's a very divisive novel, even among Gaimen's fans. Out of interest Daniel, have you read Tanith Lee's Flat Earth series? I've been thinking about picking it up for ages, and you seem like the kind of person who might (for obvious reasons) have read it!
I haven't read any of that. I don't know much about them, but they always struck me as being very wizards/dragons-oriented, which isn't really my thing. I read a fair amount of that as a kid and haven't had much desire to return to it recently. Maybe some day, though!
Constantine's Sword by James Carroll
May I suggest at your convenience to compare Carroll's opinions and conclusions about Constantine with the perspective of the modern greek-american historian Professor D. George Kousoulas?
http://dgkousoulas.com/
'The Life and Times of Constantine the Great'
By D. G. Kousoulas
http://www.amazon.com/Life-Times-Constantine-Great/dp/1419660411/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1304731682&sr=1-1
I'm reading Jailbird by Kurt Vonnegut.
I'm reading Jailbird by Kurt Vonnegut.
I'm reading Cat's Cradle
I'm reading Jailbird by Kurt Vonnegut.
I'm reading Cat's Cradle
I'm reading Jailbird by Kurt Vonnegut.
I'm reading Cat's Cradle
Me too. I just started it today. I hope it's better than Galapagos, the last Vonnegut book I read.
Finishing up 1984, surprised at how much like the modern world it is...
It's pretty good. I liked Slaughterhouse Five better, but it's one of his best works.
Indeed, Nasser actually managed to pull the wool over Kennedy's eyes as to his intentions. Kennedy wanted Nasser to unite Arabia, but he didn't see the threat to Israel. In fact, the campaign saved the state of Israel from destruction. Nasser also had the USSR on his side, and we had to lie to the yanks repeatedly to keep the cover on the op.The War that Never Was
by Duff Hart-Davis.
It tells of Britain's unofficial, highly secretive campaign in the 60s supporting Yemeni Royalists to keep President Nasser's Egyptians and Yemeni collaborators from conquering Arabia and crushing Israel. Interestingly, my dad worked on the Yemeni border in the closing stages of the war servicing missiles, radio equipment and assisting Saudi border patrols.
That sounds fascinating. Egyptian kings from Muhammad Ali Pasha (circa 1805) to King Farouk (1952) were all western puppets whose dynasty was overthrown by Mohammad Naguib and Nasser in the 1950's and who were the least foreign manipulated leaders of Egypt in over a century. The British would logically support puppets like the Saudi and Yemeni royals against Nasser whom it is well known they tried to assassinate.
I curse the fact that I no longer need to take two bus rides of forty minutes each every single day. It has cut my reading habits to practically nil.
I just ordered A Dance with Dragons, A Canticle for Leibowitz, and The Name of the Wind. Can't wait!
I'm going on holiday next week and I want to take three books with me, two fiction and one non-fiction, any suggestions, oh learned members of FES?The Koran, the Bible, and the Book of Mormon.
I'm going on holiday next week and I want to take three books with me, two fiction and one non-fiction, any suggestions, oh learned members of FES?
I'm going on holiday next week and I want to take three books with me, two fiction and one non-fiction, any suggestions, oh learned members of FES?
Have you read Dune?
Almost finished with A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin.
Ye gods, these are good books. I read Steel and Snow in 24 hours, straight through the night without noticing. I'm picking up the finale on Saturday and intend to complete it by Monday morning.
Then the work begins.
Almost finished with A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin.
Ye gods, these are good books. I read Steel and Snow in 24 hours, straight through the night without noticing. I'm picking up the finale on Saturday and intend to complete it by Monday morning.
Then the work begins.
I love GRRM. I'm watching for the mailman to bring A Dance with Dragons any day now.
When I go on holiday I do things like ski and drink and shit
Tick Tock, by James Patterson.
He kinda writes for the least common denominator, but it's otherwise pretty good.
Ghost Story by Jim Butcher!
Been waiting on this one for a while.
Ghost Story by Jim Butcher!
Been waiting on this one for a while.
Is that a Dresden Files book? I read one of those once. It was pretty good.
Got A Dance with Dragons yesterday.
I lost track of time and read through till sunrise, so I can't focus enough to read any more.
I don't see a united Africa as a remotely viable construct at the moment. It's too big, too many disparate tribes, religions and ways of life, too much inequality between the states, too many unresolved conflicts, too many centuries-old blood feuds. Not even the Sudan could remain united, what hope is there for a continent-wide unification?
Looks like a good list of reasons why the present schemes (neo-colonialism or whatever you want to call it) don't work.
December 6
Martin Cruz Smith
I've read two or three of this guy's books and they're pretty entertaining, mostly intrigue plots in unfamiliar places.
Yeah, that one and I've read Polar Star and Havana Bay. All three good reads. This one I'm reading now is set in Japan.
I'm finally reading A Dance with Dragons.
I'm finally reading A Dance with Dragons.
I'm about to start reading a Game of Thrones. I've had it for months but haven't had time to get into it.
Does your condemnation of a United Africa mean that you think that Africans are unfit to govern themselves? Is it okay for europeans to have a United Europe but too advanced for Africans? I especially disrespect racism that is too cowardly to declare itself openly, but attacks the legitimate dreams of the exploited and their true leaders.
Finally finished The Bear and the Dragon; I am now on Dune.
OMG! You just made me squee! :) I hope you get as much out of Dune as I have, it is the one book I've read over and over again, and always get something new out of.
Dune is awesome.
I'm finally reading A Dance with Dragons.
I'm about to start reading a Game of Thrones. I've had it for months but haven't had time to get into it.
Winter is coming! I think you'll really enjoy it.
Reading a free book from the Muslims in town called 'The Man in the Red Underpants' a spectacularly ill-researched book full to the brim of the oldest 'arguments' for god you've ever heard.
among a bunch of textbooks.
Coco Barrington was born into a legendary Hollywood family, her last name loaded with expectations. Her mother is a mega-bestselling author who writes under the name of Florence Flowers – and her sister, Jane, is one of Hollywood’s top producers. They’re not your typical family, by any means . . . Jane has lived with her partner, Liz, for 10 years, in a solid, loving relationship. Florence, widowed but still radiant, has just begun a secret romance with a man twenty-four years her junior. And Coco, a law school dropout and family black sheep, works as a dog walker, having fled life in the spotlight for the artsy Northern California beach town of Bolinas.
But when Coco reluctantly agrees to house-sit in Jane’s luxurious home, she soon discovers just how much things can change in just a matter of days . . . It turns out Jane’s house comes complete with an unexpected houseguest: Leslie Baxter, a dashing but down-to-earth British actor who’s fleeing a psycho ex-girlfriend.Their worlds couldn’t be more different.The attraction couldn’t be more immediate.
Suddenly Coco is seeing things differently: Leslie is not just a celebrity, he’s a single dad to an adorable six-year-old girl. Her mother is not just a self-centered walking advertisement for great cosmetic surgery, she’s a woman in love, with vulnerability and new insight. And Jane and Liz are about to take the bravest plunge of all – into parenthood. As Coco contemplates a future with one of Hollywood’s hottest stars, as her mother and sister settle into their lives, old wounds are healed and new familes are formed – some traditional, some not-so-traditional, but all bonded by love.
With wit and intelligence, Danielle Steel’s new novel explores love in all its guises, taking us into the lives of three unusual, but wonderfully real couples.Funny, sexy and wise, One Day at a Time is at once moving, thought provoking, and utterly impossible to put down.
About halfway through A Game Of Thrones, and thoroughly enjoying it.
I heard they are going to keep it pretty close to the books for seasons 1 and 2. But once it gets to season 3, since the book is so long, they are planning to split that up a bit. I hope it turns out okay. I'm on book 3 now, and loving it.
I heard they are going to keep it pretty close to the books for seasons 1 and 2. But once it gets to season 3, since the book is so long, they are planning to split that up a bit. I hope it turns out okay. I'm on book 3 now, and loving it.
I heard they are going to keep it pretty close to the books for seasons 1 and 2. But once it gets to season 3, since the book is so long, they are planning to split that up a bit. I hope it turns out okay. I'm on book 3 now, and loving it.
Yeah, I think they're going to have to do that. Also, I think when they get to A Feast for Crows, they'll merge it with A Dance with Dragons, and then divided into several seasons. Once you start reading Feast you will understand... most of the main P.O.V. characters are absent. Dance with Dragons takes place during the same time frame, but from your favorite characters P.O.V. Feast suffered from a serious lack of Tyrion.
Well, I loved Brienne and Jaime (for the most part), but the rest of the book was a bit of a drag. If I were to read the series again, I'd read Feast and the first half of ADwD at the same time.
'Homosexuality and the Politics of Truth'
By Jeffrey Satinover
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/080105625X/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Some books of this nature are unfortunately combined with the politics of the religious right, but I became particularly interested in this one by the reviewer who stated that "The chapter on genetics alone is worth the price of the book."
The following review was another indication of its objectivity:
Paul Jennens wrote "As an openly gay man having lived in the lifestyle for 12 years, I found Dr. Satinover's book refreshing and poignant. His book reflected an amazing and timely understanding of homosexuality and current gay culture, and its position in our society as a whole. His analysis of the role of religion in this issue is refreshingly objective for such a controversial and emotional subject. This book will challenge the perspective of openly gay people--whether atheist, agnostic, or persons of faith--who honestly answer the questions it poses in their own lives."
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. I'm learning a ridiculous new word every few pages.
I'm reading my posts, I'm the only one who does.
Roundy is too cool for bool.I'm reading my posts, I'm the only one who does.
(http://i39.tinypic.com/xdfo5v.jpg)
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
It took me a few chapters to realize it was the basis for Blade Runner.
Do you have The Man in the High Castle, and A Scanner Darkly? Those are good.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, by John Berendt. Hilarious so far.
My great aunt lived south of Savannah for many years, I love that part of Georgia.
My great aunt lived south of Savannah for many years, I love that part of Georgia.
I used to have long visits in Statesboro which isn't that far from Pembroke. Emma Kelly, the piano lady in the book, was from there and I got to hear her numbers of times. I agree, Savannah's fun.
I didn't much like She
Timequake by Kurt VonnegutWOO!
Palahniuk is the guy who wrote that story about the guy getting his guts yanked out in the pool, isn't he? That was awful.
2deep4u
2deep4u
2deep4u
Maybe that's what it is. I tend to think that books or movies that try to be really deep are dumb, yet people love it (examples, Fight Club and Inception). But maybe I just don't get it. Although I feel that I do and yet, I don't care.
2deep4u
Maybe that's what it is. I tend to think that books or movies that try to be really deep are dumb, yet people love it (examples, Fight Club and Inception). But maybe I just don't get it. Although I feel that I do and yet, I don't care.
I was just kidding. There's fucking nothing deep Fight Club and Inception. Seriously though, people value different things in books, some may simply look at the prose by itself or its presentation and some read books for the plot and the characters. If you're in the latter category, then it's understandable that you wouldn't like Vonnegut or Palahniuk.
Guts was bad, though.. I didn't like it at all.
The Bible, The System of the World (Newton), On the Origin of Species (Darwin), Gulliver's Travels (Swift), The Age of Reason (Paine), The Wealth of Nations (Smith), The Art of War (Sun Tsu), The Prince (Machiavelli). If read all of the works above, you will have profound insight into most of what has driven the history of the western world.
Neil Degrasse Tyson suggested this list of books, so I'll work my way through them as I have time:Quote from: NDTThe Bible, The System of the World (Newton), On the Origin of Species (Darwin), Gulliver's Travels (Swift), The Age of Reason (Paine), The Wealth of Nations (Smith), The Art of War (Sun Tsu), The Prince (Machiavelli). If read all of the works above, you will have profound insight into most of what has driven the history of the western world.
Guts was bad, though.. I didn't like it at all.
Did you not like it because it was disturbing or because it was written badly?
Guts was bad, though.. I didn't like it at all.
Did you not like it because it was disturbing or because it was written badly?
Disturbing... he seems to write really well. I have Choke, but haven't read it because of Guts, lol.
About 100 pages into Game of Thrones. Cracking read, so far.
I'm looking for decent books on political theory and/or history and/or economics. Something informative, yet entertaining to read. If anyone has any suggestions on specific books or authors, it would be appreciated.
I'm looking for decent books on political theory and/or history and/or economics. Something informative, yet entertaining to read. If anyone has any suggestions on specific books or authors, it would be appreciated.Badass by Ben Thompson
I'd stop reading the Wheel of Time now if I was you. The first few books are pretty good, but then the pace gets slower and slower until you get to book 6 where the prologue alone is about 200 pages long. And the female characters are all pretty much the same person anyway.
'James G. Endicott: Rebel Out of China'
The only answer ever to this thread is technically that I'm reading this thread.Wrong.
Grim Fairy tells cuz they are free on my phone.I have their collection. Some of the tales really suck.
I know right! like the one with the cat who meowed and they were like FIRE THE CANNON!Grim Fairy tells cuz they are free on my phone.I have their collection. Some of the tales really suck.
I just got done Stephen King's new book, 11/22/63. If anyone's interested I think it's the best book he's written outside of the Dark Tower series in a very long time.
Having done the Iliad and Odyssey in the last 2 weeks I'm going to do the Aeneid next.This hasn't happened. I am unable to find a prose translation of the Aeneid. There are plenty where someone has tried to shoehorn it into rhyming English verse or done an absolute literal translation, but I want a prose version so I can read it and enjoy it like a human being would. There seems to be a conspiracy amongst prose translators though. None of these works are available even though some are hundreds of years old.
For those that haven't heard of if, it is written by Virgil, not Homer and is another epic poem. It picks up where the Iliad finishes, with Aeneas fleeing the sacked city of Troy to found a new city, Rome. Full of gods, heroes and whatnot I have never read this one, so am looking forward to it muchly.
I devour anything to do with the Holocaust.You are literally Hitler pie aren't you?
I'm literally a pie? ???I devour anything to do with the Holocaust.You are literally Hitler pie aren't you?
Saw The Hunger Games and enjoyed the story, so I am going to skip the first book and read Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins.
I just got done Stephen King's new book, 11/22/63. If anyone's interested I think it's the best book he's written outside of the Dark Tower series in a very long time.
Agreed, so much. Though I haven't read the Dark Tower series. Are they really that good?
GD, you're gonna love Hyperion. It's a great book.
Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert.
Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert.
OMG (squeee)
I hope you are loving the Dune series.
Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan. I've long held his theory on the social contract as one of the most brilliant ideas in social philosophy, so it's about damn time I picked this up.
Hobbes was a monarchist. You might want to balance such reading with:
'The Social Contract'
By Jean Jacques Rousseau
'Gun Control: Gateway to Tyranny'
By Aaron Zelman
Published By Jews For the Preservation of Firearms Ownership
'Nazi Weapons Law of 1938 Compared Side By Side With the US Gun Control Act of 1968'
Shows clearly that the most pervasive gun law in US history, the US Gun Control Act of 1968 was based on a Nazi anti-gun law.
http://jpfo.org/filegen-a-m/GCA_68.htm
The Odyssey
Having done the Iliad and Odyssey in the last 2 weeks I'm going to do the Aeneid next.This hasn't happened. I am unable to find a prose translation of the Aeneid. There are plenty where someone has tried to shoehorn it into rhyming English verse or done an absolute literal translation, but I want a prose version so I can read it and enjoy it like a human being would. There seems to be a conspiracy amongst prose translators though. None of these works are available even though some are hundreds of years old.
For those that haven't heard of if, it is written by Virgil, not Homer and is another epic poem. It picks up where the Iliad finishes, with Aeneas fleeing the sacked city of Troy to found a new city, Rome. Full of gods, heroes and whatnot I have never read this one, so am looking forward to it muchly.
Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan. I've long held his theory on the social contract as one of the most brilliant ideas in social philosophy, so it's about damn time I picked this up.
Hobbes was a monarchist. You might want to balance such reading with:
'The Social Contract'
By Jean Jacques Rousseau
Never fancied Rousseau too much buuut I only have a general idea of his theories so I guess I'm too quick to judge. Maybe I'll give him a try.
And of Hobbes, I do in fact disagree with his views on authority and I've argued about it for many a time, but I still respect him greatly solely for his theories on the state of nature and the social contract.
Many people think of Rousseau as Karl Marx's eighteenth century predecessor.
I personally believe that the difference between Voltaire and Rousseau could not be greater (on almost any issue).
Rousseau was a sincere writer on behalf of the rights of masses of exploited people.
Voltaire, on the contrary, was born an aristocrat and a staunch monarchist who spent his entire life in pleasure with other aristocrats and kings and queens - some of whom were notoriously cruel such as Catherine of Russia. When Voltaire received a copy of Rousseau's 'Social Contract', he replied to him that it was an essay against the human race. I suggest that is one of many indications that Voltaire's disdane and condescending attitude towards the lower classes does not deserve the reputation of freedom and enlightenment occasionally and thoughtlessly imputed to him.
Rousseau's work did pave the way for the French revolution.
As to Voltaire, I am less convinced. I would even say the hard facts indicate Voltaire was a man of the political right - comparable to Nitszche.
Finally finished War and Peace
Really enjoyed the parts set with the military and the abandonment of Moscow, Pierre's involvement in the Masons was good as well, but some of the endless parties and balls could have been trimmed to bearable levels.
In addition, he needed an editor to plug at some of the essays in the later parts of the book, his arguments regarding the nature of power and freewill were interesting, but I swear I must have read his 'what powers the train' analogy three or four times.
need to read something lighter next to clear my palate Shadows in Bronze by Lindsey Davis, perhaps.
'Steal This Book'Disgusting hippie book.
By Abbie Hoffman
http://www.tenant.net/Community/steal/steal.html
'Steal This Book'Disgusting hippie book.
By Abbie Hoffman
http://www.tenant.net/Community/steal/steal.html
I remember trying to read it in HS when I was more prone to hippie ways, but I only made it 1/3 of the way through.'Steal This Book'Disgusting hippie book.
By Abbie Hoffman
http://www.tenant.net/Community/steal/steal.html
It's only fiting that there is a chapter on scoring free pot. I laughed.
I thought the bits on Earth in that book were some of the funniest scenes from the series.They share some caracteristics. Also, I'm proud to say that my "Don't panic" ebook leather cover was a success in a cosplay fair.
I'm reading Ulysses by James Joyce.
While Nynaeve tugged her braid, Elayne smoothed her skirts and Egwene folder her arms under her breasts, all of them wishing Rand, Mat, Perrin and/or Lan were there so they could give them the rough side of their tongues and then take off their clothes to admire their pretty buttocks and so on.
Meanwhile, Rand, ever mindful of the oily taint of saidin, wished he knew as much about women as Mat and Perrin did. Perrin, ever mindful of Faile's constant nagging, wished he knew as much about women as Rand and Mat did. And Mat, freshly bedded at knifepoint by Queen Tylin, wished lhe knew as much, etc.
Elsewhere, in Tear or somewhere, the cleavage was robust, the chamber pots were made of porcelain, the lace dresses with the little silver thingies in them were very pretty and the forked beards shone in the pale summer morning like flaxen straw or some crap. Earrings were bright and sparkly and horses wore intricate, ornate saddles and, and uh...did I mention the cleavage and how firm and robust it was? Darkfriends walked the streets and did...things. Whitecloaks arrested anybody who said the word "darkfriend" and looked at them funny. Several Aes Sedai were stilled and then just as quickly unstilled...then stilled again if they stepped out of line. Other Aes Sedai, meanwhile, searched high and low for various weather-altering kitchen utensils. And the Sean'chean invaded every so often, just to keep things mildly interesting...
...and stuff
My personal critique depends imminently more on whether a given writer is right or wrong. His writing style is a distant second.
I've picked up Asimov's original 'Foundation' trilogy and just started on 'Foundation' this morning.
I've picked up Asimov's original 'Foundation' trilogy and just started on 'Foundation' this morning.
I can't find Empire anywhere. I will literally get the train to Brum to borrow that if this gets any worse, consent be damned.
Nemesis by Isaac Asimov. Been dying to get my hands on the foundation series. I can't find it in e-book (which I used to scoff out and have recently become addicted to).
The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I stole it from Particle Person. >.>
I'm reading To Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer.
I'm also still reading Ulysses. I just... needed a break.
I'm reading To Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer.
I'm also still reading Ulysses. I just... needed a break.
Know that feel, I've spent longer staring at the closed book in mixed anticipation and dread than actually reading it.
Speaking with confidence does make anything true. Just make sure you're thinking objectively and not trying to validate your own suspicions, that's how people ignore falsifying evidence and become pseudoscientists or... news reporters, I suppose.'The Manufacturing of a President:
The CIA's Insertion of Barack H. Obama, Jr. Into the White House'
By Wayne Madsen
http://www.lulu.com/shop/wayne-madsen/the-manufacturing-of-a-president/paperback/product-20216251.html (http://www.lulu.com/shop/wayne-madsen/the-manufacturing-of-a-president/paperback/product-20216251.html)
The best book on Obama yet written.Oh yes, conspiracy theory books!
You don't think too much before posting for a guy that labels himself "Thinking Man."
I checked out Wayne Madsen's history and read his articles before I ordered his book and posted about it. I think any who labels a book as a theory without knowing anything about it disrespects the author and indicates more about their own lack of honour.
After reading particularly several articles in the Wayne Madsen Report, he speaks with certainty and not speculatively about the details he has researched, and his resume shows that he has been interviewed on many mainstream national TV news programs and daily newspapers and magazines (both conservative and left).
I have personally liked what the 'American Free Press' newspaper has published about the World Trade center attacks, the FBI, and Al Qaida, etc in general, but I discern from his articles that Wayne Madsen's articles about the same have a keen knowledge that is superior to any I have encountered.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Madsen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Madsen)
Crudblud, what's your interest in Faust?
I'm going through a series of short stories by Anton Chekhov. The one I read last was called Sorrow, in it a very poor man is taking his very sick wife to the hospital, to beg the local doctor for treatment. As he's describing how he'll do this to her, he notices that the snow isn't melting from her face and that she has gone stiff. Surprise, she's dead. The man regrets having beaten her all her life and treating her as a dog and begins to lose his mind. It is snowing very heavily, and he gets lost. He slumps over on his horse, and loses consciousness. He wakes up in the hospital, and he's lost all of his limbs to frostbite. End.
That one was called Sorrow. The very next story is called Misery. I can hardly wait.
I'm going through a series of short stories by Anton Chekhov. The one I read last was called Sorrow, in it a very poor man is taking his very sick wife to the hospital, to beg the local doctor for treatment. As he's describing how he'll do this to her, he notices that the snow isn't melting from her face and that she has gone stiff. Surprise, she's dead. The man regrets having beaten her all her life and treating her as a dog and begins to lose his mind. It is snowing very heavily, and he gets lost. He slumps over on his horse, and loses consciousness. He wakes up in the hospital, and he's lost all of his limbs to frostbite. End.
That one was called Sorrow. The very next story is called Misery. I can hardly wait.
What is the name of the series? It sounds similar to some work by Fredric Brown that I enjoyed.
A comedy about the Devil thrown out of Hell and forced to live in English Subburbia.
Brave New World Revisited
By Aldous Huxley
http://faculty.txwes.edu/csmeller/human-prospect/ProData09/03WW2CulMatrix/WW2WRTs/Huxley1894/BrNewWrldRe1958/BraveRevIndex.htm (http://faculty.txwes.edu/csmeller/human-prospect/ProData09/03WW2CulMatrix/WW2WRTs/Huxley1894/BrNewWrldRe1958/BraveRevIndex.htm)
I'm going through a series of short stories by Anton Chekhov. The one I read last was called Sorrow, in it a very poor man is taking his very sick wife to the hospital, to beg the local doctor for treatment. As he's describing how he'll do this to her, he notices that the snow isn't melting from her face and that she has gone stiff. Surprise, she's dead. The man regrets having beaten her all her life and treating her as a dog and begins to lose his mind. It is snowing very heavily, and he gets lost. He slumps over on his horse, and loses consciousness. He wakes up in the hospital, and he's lost all of his limbs to frostbite. End.
That one was called Sorrow. The very next story is called Misery. I can hardly wait.
What is the name of the series? It sounds similar to some work by Fredric Brown that I enjoyed.
It's just a very old collection published in the twenties. "Short Stories by Anton R. Chekhov" is all that's printed on the cover. There's no relation between any of the stories, except for the crippling depression that pervades every single one of them. Somebody should go to Russia and tell them about happiness. Spoiler alert: Misery was even more dreary than Sorrow.
You can say that bitch is crazy, you just have to do it style and eloquence. Something like, "The author's imagination and authenticity was stunning until one considers that Eady frequently visited mental hospitals likely as a result of brain damage from a nearly fatal fall at age three." [Pongo 39]i knew it must be brain damage. perfect!
http://www.brown.edu/Research/Breaking_Ground/bios/Sety_Omm.pdf (http://www.brown.edu/Research/Breaking_Ground/bios/Sety_Omm.pdf)
Christine Garwood wrote one of the most comprehensive books on the Flat earth society. But its a shit read. And the reason for that is because she shows absolutely no empathy with her subjects. I would advise against just stacking evidence up against the author to discredit her. The top marks will surely go to those who deliver from her point of view and that of her detractors. Tough, but that's what separates a good read from a riveting one.You can say that bitch is crazy, you just have to do it style and eloquence. Something like, "The author's imagination and authenticity was stunning until one considers that Eady frequently visited mental hospitals likely as a result of brain damage from a nearly fatal fall at age three." [Pongo 39]i knew it must be brain damage. perfect!
http://www.brown.edu/Research/Breaking_Ground/bios/Sety_Omm.pdf (http://www.brown.edu/Research/Breaking_Ground/bios/Sety_Omm.pdf)
Ehm, no.Christine Garwood wrote one of the most comprehensive books on the Flat earth society. But its a shit read. And the reason for that is because she shows absolutely no empathy with her subjects. I would advise against just stacking evidence up against the author to discredit her. The top marks will surely go to those who deliver from her point of view and that of her detractors. Tough, but that's what separates a good read from a riveting one.You can say that bitch is crazy, you just have to do it style and eloquence. Something like, "The author's imagination and authenticity was stunning until one considers that Eady frequently visited mental hospitals likely as a result of brain damage from a nearly fatal fall at age three." [Pongo 39]i knew it must be brain damage. perfect!
http://www.brown.edu/Research/Breaking_Ground/bios/Sety_Omm.pdf (http://www.brown.edu/Research/Breaking_Ground/bios/Sety_Omm.pdf)
When you read a review/critique you aren't interested in the author's point of view. You want to be able to make up your own mind from what the reviewer has written. Also laying down a convincing argument on behalf of the derranged sungod fapper will surely score the top marks.Except that this paper isn't really a review. I have to summarize people's reactions to her throughout the book, summarize my reaction to her, poke holes in her argument, and point out any inaccuracies from a historian's point of view.
When you read a review/critique you aren't interested in the author's point of view. You want to be able to make up your own mind from what the reviewer has written. Also laying down a convincing argument on behalf of the derranged sungod fapper will surely score the top marks.
You have to pick holes in the reasoning of someone with brain damage? Sounds like a tough course. Have you finished the potato prints and macaroni family collage for your practical coursework yet?When you read a review/critique you aren't interested in the author's point of view. You want to be able to make up your own mind from what the reviewer has written. Also laying down a convincing argument on behalf of the derranged sungod fapper will surely score the top marks.Except that this paper isn't really a review. I have to summarize people's reactions to her throughout the book, summarize my reaction to her, poke holes in her argument, and point out any inaccuracies from a historian's point of view.
It's actually a bit harder than you'd think. She was an extremely knowledgeable Egyptologist so her depictions of things are crazy good.You have to pick holes in the reasoning of someone with brain damage? Sounds like a tough course. Have you finished the potato prints and macaroni family collage for your practical coursework yet?When you read a review/critique you aren't interested in the author's point of view. You want to be able to make up your own mind from what the reviewer has written. Also laying down a convincing argument on behalf of the derranged sungod fapper will surely score the top marks.Except that this paper isn't really a review. I have to summarize people's reactions to her throughout the book, summarize my reaction to her, poke holes in her argument, and point out any inaccuracies from a historian's point of view.
(http://www.porkulent.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/ReclaimedMacaroni-1-640x426.jpg)
Lord of Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Just finished The Hobbit for the second time; I'm more perplexed than ever at how they could possibly stretch that into three movies and make them good.
Now I'm reading The Man Who Knew Too Much by GK Chesterton.
Just finished The Hobbit for the second time; I'm more perplexed than ever at how they could possibly stretch that into three movies and make them good.
Now I'm reading The Man Who Knew Too Much by GK Chesterton.
I can't wait for the second movie and see me kick some goblin ass :D
I'm reading The Principia Discordia.
I'm not sure how helpful it is, but the same site that hosts "Earth Not a Globe" also has a version of Prose Edda.Thank you, Thork. I was looking for a print copy (which I foolishly forgot to mention), but I'll check this out too. Thanks again.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/pre/index.htm (http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/pre/index.htm)
Just finished The Hobbit for the second time; I'm more perplexed than ever at how they could possibly stretch that into three movies and make them good.
BBC Active: Talk Russian
Getting a crash course before a visit to the Ukraine.
I'm reading The Principia Discordia.
Have you read the Illuminatus trilogy Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson? I swear that I've never done LSD, but after reading those books, I feel like I have.
I'm reading The Principia Discordia.
Dude I freaking love Philip K Dick, it usually took me about a night to finish any of his books. I could never get enough!You love Dick. It takes you all night to finish. You can never get enough.
Dude I freaking love Philip K Dick, it usually took me about a night to finish any of his books. I could never get enough!You love Dick. It takes you all night to finish. You can never get enough.
Noted.
Pillars of the Earth. It's alright.
Pillars of the Earth. It's alright.
Okay, I finished it. It's was a neat look into the life of medieval life.
Pillars of the Earth. It's alright.
Okay, I finished it. It's was a neat look into the life of medieval life.
Redundant
Pillars of the Earth. It's alright.
Okay, I finished it. It's was a neat look into the life of medieval life.
Redundant
Children of Dune by Frank Herbert.
Children of Dune by Frank Herbert.
Do you love it?
Children of Dune by Frank Herbert.
Do you love it?
Oh, God, yeah. I think I'd honestly have to say this is the best science fiction story I've ever read (by which I mean the Dune saga). It will be disappointing when I'm through with Frank's books; I'm not even going to bother with the ones by his son after what people have said about them.
Children of Dune by Frank Herbert.
Do you love it?
Oh, God, yeah. I think I'd honestly have to say this is the best science fiction story I've ever read (by which I mean the Dune saga). It will be disappointing when I'm through with Frank's books; I'm not even going to bother with the ones by his son after what people have said about them.
I love the Dune series, I love it the same way others love LotR. I've read them so many times, and still feel like I get something new out of them each time.
There are people who enjoy the KJA stuff, but I can barely get through the excerpts that are posted online. The writing reminds me of cheap romance novels, it's so repetitious and uninspired.
I'm always happy when I see someone else getting hooked on Dune.
I am reading Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. Well, I will be once I pick it up again...the first chapter is so damned hard to get through 'cause it's written all fancy 1800's style. I consider myself someone with a rather good vocabulary, but I keep needing to have my dictionary up on my iPod every page. Yeesh.
Robert M. Pirsig - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
The Bonfire of the Vanities - Tom Wolfe.
The Bonfire of the Vanities - Tom Wolfe.
I loved this book. Don't bother with the awful movie they made from it.
I'm reading Hellhole by :-\ Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson. A friend recommended it and I have to say it's not bad.
The Bonfire of the Vanities - Tom Wolfe.
I loved this book. Don't bother with the awful movie they made from it.
I'm reading Hellhole by :-\ Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson. A friend recommended it and I have to say it's not bad.
I didn't even know they'd made a movie.
@any modern literature/Joyce experts: Looking for advice regarding editions of Finnegans Wake. I've been looking at this edition on Faber and Faber (http://www.faber.co.uk/catalog/finnegans-wake/9780571217359) which features all of Joyce's alterations and corrections and isn't too ridiculously overpriced, but there's also this new version on Penguin (http://www.penguin.co.uk/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780141192291,00.html?strSrchSql=finnegans+wake/The_Restored_Finnegans_Wake_James_Joyce#) which has supposedly been corrected further and costs a whole lot more and has kind of a shitty looking cover. Should I get one of these (and if so, which?) or are there other editions worth getting instead?Try Wordsworth editions. 656 page Finnegans Wake for a really silly £1.99! I use there services all the time. The books are very sturdy and well bound.
OMEGA I could make sweet love to you, but I won't because that isn't how I roll. In any case, that's fantastic. A million thanks!@any modern literature/Joyce experts: Looking for advice regarding editions of Finnegans Wake. I've been looking at this edition on Faber and Faber (http://www.faber.co.uk/catalog/finnegans-wake/9780571217359) which features all of Joyce's alterations and corrections and isn't too ridiculously overpriced, but there's also this new version on Penguin (http://www.penguin.co.uk/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780141192291,00.html?strSrchSql=finnegans+wake/The_Restored_Finnegans_Wake_James_Joyce#) which has supposedly been corrected further and costs a whole lot more and has kind of a shitty looking cover. Should I get one of these (and if so, which?) or are there other editions worth getting instead?Try Wordsworth editions. 656 page Finnegans Wake for a really silly £1.99! I use there services all the time. The books are very sturdy and well bound.
http://www.wordsworth-editions.com/collection/classics/book/title/finnegans-wake (http://www.wordsworth-editions.com/collection/classics/book/title/finnegans-wake)
(http://www.wordsworth-editions.com/images/covers/large/9781840226614.jpg)
A Clash of Kings - George R.R. Martin. I'm sure you all know him well.
A Clash of Kings - George R.R. Martin. I'm sure you all know him well.
He is awesome. Are you enjoying the series so far?
A Clash of Kings - George R.R. Martin. I'm sure you all know him well.
He is awesome. Are you enjoying the series so far?
More so than most of the books I've read. Doesn't do much harm that I like the author too. How do you like 'em? (Presuming you've read some of/all of the series).
Samuel Beckett - MolloyHave you read anything by JM Synge? I think he's utterly brilliant and very divers. Ti's a great pity he died so young.
Decided to put Ulysses on hold for a few days after happening upon this at the library.
I have not, but I shall put him on my list of stuff to read. Any titles you'd recommend for a first read?Samuel Beckett - MolloyHave you read anything by JM Synge? I think he's utterly brilliant and very divers. Ti's a great pity he died so young.
Decided to put Ulysses on hold for a few days after happening upon this at the library.
Wait until you read God Emperor of Dune. You might hate it at first, but it will grow on you.
I feel terrible for abandoning Ulysses, but on the whole it is just too long-winded for me at present.
Another book I didn't finish, and I've tried twice. I really liked it, but I was reading it when I was in college, and it's so long and dense that term-reading always caught me out, even when I thought I'd left myself plenty of time to finish it.I don't share the college experience, but I basically agree with what you're saying. I haven't given up on it exactly, but I feel that it will be a long time before I pick it back up again, and I'll need to start over to have even a hope of following it properly.
Wait until you read God Emperor of Dune. You might hate it at first, but it will grow on you.
Just saw this now. I did not finish that book, which is rare. Really couldn't stand it at the time. I should probably go back and give it a try, but it just felt so disappointing compared to the previous three. Dune Messiah is probably my favourite. It's short, but it's consistently brilliant.
Dune is probably my favourite sci-fi series. I think it captures a sense of history and culture better than any other.
James Joyce - Ulysses
It's a good book, but I screwed it up after about 250 pages when I saw Molloy in the library. I'd been looking for a Beckett novel for some time and I found myself giving in to temptation. Eventually I'll start Ulysses again, at the moment I'm taking time to read through some shorter books, as well as plays and poetry.James Joyce - Ulysses
Put it down gently, and then run, do not walk, away.
You are welcome.
Oscar Wilde - The Picture of Dorian Gray
It's a good'un, definitely, though I could have done without 10 pages detailing all the things he owns, I get the point of it but I think one or two pages would have sufficed. As for the film, I only saw bits of it some years ago, barely remember any of it.Oscar Wilde - The Picture of Dorian Gray
Really enjoyed that book. Couldn't say the same about the film.
Philadelphia SEO Company-Impact Internet Marketing is a New Jersey Internet Marketing and Philadelphia SEO Company and a South Jersey Web Design Agency, with 12 years Internet Marketing experience.Thank you for the information, kind gentleman.
Read Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Did you see the movie? I've heard good things about the book and movie, so I'm kinda interested.Read Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
And what did you think? It's one of my favourite books, in particular the Frobisher section.
Did you see the movie? I've heard good things about the book and movie, so I'm kinda interested.Read Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
And what did you think? It's one of my favourite books, in particular the Frobisher section.
Read Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
And what did you think? It's one of my favourite books, in particular the Frobisher section.
For fifty-cents, I picked up "Keplar: A novel" by John Banville for fifty-cents perversely because I cannot stand Keplar. While the protagonist, the book has done nothing to evoke any sympathy for the character/historical person.
Brave New World Revisited
By Aldous Huxley
http://faculty.txwes.edu/csmeller/human-prospect/ProData09/03WW2CulMatrix/WW2WRTs/Huxley1894/BrNewWrldRe1958/BraveRevIndex.htm (http://faculty.txwes.edu/csmeller/human-prospect/ProData09/03WW2CulMatrix/WW2WRTs/Huxley1894/BrNewWrldRe1958/BraveRevIndex.htm)
Island by Huxley is one of my favorite books of all time. Check it out if you like him.
For fifty-cents, I picked up "Keplar: A novel" by John Banville for fifty-cents perversely because I cannot stand Keplar. While the protagonist, the book has done nothing to evoke any sympathy for the character/historical person.
What does this mean
Made it to the halfway point (section II.3) of Finnegans Wake, for some reason not as difficult as Ulysses.
P.S. read it in an Irish accent. The wordplay is more obvious.
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. It's pretty good, so far.
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. It's pretty good, so far.I bought my daughter the series to read, when she finished them [she just turned 13] she pestered me to read them, so I gave in and read the lot. They are very good, sometimes brilliant and at moments profoundly sad. More from Suzanne Collins and her alter ego Katniss.
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. It's pretty good, so far.I bought my daughter the series to read, when she finished them [she just turned 13] she pestered me to read them, so I gave in and read the lot. They are very good, sometimes brilliant and at moments profoundly sad. More from Suzanne Collins and her alter ego Katniss.
Read the Communist Manifesto earlier, back onto Duizend Schitterende Zonnen and I plan to finish it. After that I'd like to do The Motorcycle Diaries. Alternating between foreign and English language books seems to be the best way to progress.
I'm working my way through A Song of Ice and Fire. I'm on A Clash of Kings right now.
I have begun a Discworld marathon! Well, hopefully I'll manage to find them all.
And it's just the kind of series I want to read after getting through the A Song of Ice and Fire saga.
I thought the early books were good but they definitely got better as the series rolled along.
How "funny" are they? Mildly so? Laugh-out-loud funny? For comparison, I love the Hitchhiker's Guide series.
Ooh, Mort is next. If you don't love that one you might as well just give it up.It's certainly the best Discworld I've read, though I recently found The Colour of Magic and Night Watch, neither of which I knew I had, so I'm looking forward to trying those.
But they're still funny, right?
How "funny" are they? Mildly so? Laugh-out-loud funny? For comparison, I love the Hitchhiker's Guide series.
Hyperspace - Michio Kaku
Hyperspace - Michio Kaku
Excellent book. When I was 15/16 I bought a copy and read it intensively. Much of it went over my head but I was very interested the analogies of higher dimensions to Flatland - in fact it inspired me to read that book as well. Result was that while I was already known as a bit of a geek/nerd type in my friends/school group it got a whole lot weirder when I kept going on about hypercubes and making little paper tesseracts and seeing if I could 'fold' them mentally if I stared at them long enough - still hasn't happened I'm afraid :P
The book is not far off 20 years old now as well so much of the theories described in it are likely either out of date or have been confirmed. Still well worth a read along with Flatland if you want to hurt your brain.
Paul Auster - The New York Trilogy
Hunter S. Thompson - Fear and Loathing in Las VegasHunter S. Thompson is a crazy mofo. Where are you in the book?
Chapter 6 of Part 2.Hunter S. Thompson - Fear and Loathing in Las VegasHunter S. Thompson is a crazy mofo. Where are you in the book?
If you liked it, read Moon Palace. Similar style, better story and execution (in my opinion).
Hunter S. Thompson - Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Hunter S. Thompson - Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Loved it. Really need to get hold of ...on the campaign trail...
I'm almost finished bonfire of the vanities and debating either 'gold' by Asimov or 'Crime and punishment' by Dostoevsky. I want to have read the later before I go to Petersburg in November with the girlfriend.
He's whatever is fashionable at the time. Vegetarian, gay, black. He just wants to be accepted.Hunter S. Thompson - Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Loved it. Really need to get hold of ...on the campaign trail...
I'm almost finished bonfire of the vanities and debating either 'gold' by Asimov or 'Crime and punishment' by Dostoevsky. I want to have read the later before I go to Petersburg in November with the girlfriend.
Wait, you're not gay?
Pretty sure I've been clear about my sexuality before. From memory, there may be an old 'post a picture' from 08 or so of me with my ex, not sure whether I've ever posted a pic of my current lass...
I found Eric disappointing but the one after that, Moving Pictures, is my favorite yet.
You're now almost as far through the series as I am.
I found Eric disappointing but the one after that, Moving Pictures, is my favorite yet.
You're now almost as far through the series as I am.
Eric was indeed rather disappointing. Too short, not much of an overarching story to speak of, the titular character should have been less annoying and more amusing, and I didn't even have the illustrated version. Oh, well. Let's see if Moving Pictures lives up to the hype.
Went out and purchased some books...
Flann O'Brien - The Third Policeman
William Faulkner - Sanctuary / Requiem for a Nun (in a single volume)
Jonathan Swift - Gulliver's Travels
Thomas Mann - Doctor Faustus (trans. H.T. Lowe-Porter)
Anaïs Nin - A Spy In the House of Love
Roberto Bolaño - The Savage Detectives (trans. Natasha Wimmer)
Total cost of £9.
I've finished Moving Pictures. It started off a little slow, but it was pretty good once it got going properly. And now I'm about to go through another bunch of them.
I do have a pretty harsh criticism of Tyrion's storyline, though. I still love the character and the levity his chapters bring, but he has some 60s TV show Batman moments of insight in this one. I know that he's been built up as a character who survives on his wits, but come on, I found it ridiculously implausible that he would be able to piece together that Young Griff was Prince Aegon the way he did.
What annoyed me the most about Dani's chapters was that nothing ever happened. They were mostly descriptions of the scenery, build up to a little cliffhanger, and then off to a different character. When another Dani chapter came around whatever exciting thing that was about to happen in the previous chapter happened without us being able to read it as it happened, and we were back to descriptions of the scenery.
Moving Pictures is easily one of my favourites.
"Why are all Mister Dibbler's pictures set 'in a world gone madde!'?"
"Because Mister Dibbler is a very observant person."
Tyrion is the smartest man alive. He could single handedly bring Westeros to technological levels rivalling our own should he wish.
I do not know why I spelled Dany wrong.
I just bought Finnegan's Wake and am looking forward to reading it next, to continue my journey through the works of James Joyce. It seems daunting. After reading the first couple pages I fear it appears to make Ulysses look like See Spot Run. I'm a little scared.
FaustEric is the only main Discworld book I haven't read. It's short so I'll probably read that next before I start on something heavier.
FaustEric is the only main Discworld book I haven't read. It's short so I'll probably read that next before I start on something heavier.
Well? Did you?
The Great Gatesby. Because of the adapted movie so I just want to feel the luxury atmosphere again through words.
And I have finished Men At Arms. I loved it. They're just something so hilarious about setting a police procedural/mystery in a fantasy universe. Especially a character like Vimes. I've seen this kind of character before, of course, dozens of times - but again, the fantasy setting just makes him so much funnier.
I just started Foundation, by Isaac Asimov. I have no idea why I'm just now getting around to this series.
I just started Foundation, by Isaac Asimov. I have no idea why I'm just now getting around to this series.
I'm still slogging my way through Dostoevsky's Which Young Depressed Russian Murdered the Old Depressed Russian? but I picked up Pynchon's Mason & Dixon the other day, which I'm looking forward to reading despite expecting to be somewhat out of my depth when it comes to the historical period in which it is set.
Highbrow, sophisticated fare.Yes, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters was quite highbrow.
I'm still slogging my way through Dostoevsky's Which Young Depressed Russian Murdered the Old Depressed Russian? but I picked up Pynchon's Mason & Dixon the other day, which I'm looking forward to reading despite expecting to be somewhat out of my depth when it comes to the historical period in which it is set.
Have you ever read Dostoevsky's The Double? Call me romantic, but I can't help but imagine it as a movie, set in modern-day New York (or even better, LA) starring Jim Carrey as both the protagonist and the titular character.
I just finished Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, by Jane Austen and some guy, which I found very amusing. I'm reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde now, which I am also finding amusing.
Through it all, I'm trying to make my way through Finnegan's Wake. I'm four chapters in and I think I have a pretty good grasp on what Joyce is trying to convey, although I really can't say I understand most of it. There have, in fact, been passages that have made me laugh out loud. I'm still not sure if I can say I'm enjoying it yet. I'm starting to wonder if Joyce meant it as a practical joke, a sort of punchline to his brilliant career. I would be making my way through it faster, but it's not exactly the kind of book I can sit there and read on the bus or in the break room at work. Obviously I've been choosing substantially lighter fare for that.
Wilmore, are you enjoying Anathem? I read Snow Crash not long ago and loved it. I've got a few Stephenson novels but I don't know which one to read next.
Because you just love the pidgin languages, o u
Other than that, I am reading the Bible on the side. Currently up to Genesis 24.
Revelation is batshit crazy.
Revelation is batshit crazy.
No one wants any of that New Testament hippie crap.
Other than that, I am reading the Bible on the side. Currently up to Genesis 24.
You'll be to Exodus in no time, that is when shit gets real. At least until the end of that book when you hit several chapters only describing the Ark of the Covenant in excruciating detail.
I'm rereading Guards! Guards! right now. I love the running gag about the figgins. I was reminded of how irritated I was that the back of the book spoiled a significant plot point that doesn't happen until very late.
No, Crudblud. Read Discworld.I read the Death trilogy many years ago, and enjoyed them all but felt Soul Music was a weak "finale." I have Night Watch and The Colour of Magic on my list of things to read.
There are more than three Death novels. Behold:
http://www.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/the-discworld-reading-order-guide-20.jpg (http://www.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/the-discworld-reading-order-guide-20.jpg)
There's Hogfather. And there's also Thief of Time, but it looks like that one only has a minor connection. I haven't read it yet, so I can't judge. Anyway, you should read them all. Go on a marathon, like me. So far, my library has them all, so it hasn't cost me a cent.
Wilmore, are you enjoying Anathem? I read Snow Crash not long ago and loved it. I've got a few Stephenson novels but I don't know which one to read next.
Sorry for the late reply. Anathem is good, but not great. Like, it's definitely not bad, and it's full of interesting ideas, but the characters just weren't that great. Certainly a drop in quality from Snow Crash and The Diamond Age, which I am fairly confident you will love - it's really, really good. Read it!
I finished Anathem, which was kind of huge and slow going, and then read A Room With a View by E.M. Forster. I'm now reading Dracula by Stoker. Spoiler: Count Vampire is a Dracula.
Speaking of Discworld, I have finished Small Gods and Lords and Ladies. Both were quite good.Discworld is a great series. Although I haven't read anything out of it published in the last five years (Since Thud!), I have read everything before that point. Has anyone read any of the newer titles? I'm curious if I can expect more of the same.
YAY! You might hate it, though. Lots of people don't care for that one, and tbh the first time I read it I was a bit meh about it, but now it is one of my favorites.
I haven't read anything since The Diamond Age, because I got really terribly sick and haven't felt like concentrating on a book. I think I should go back and reread the last 100 pages or so, because I was in a cold medicine haze when I first read them.
I've given up on Finnegan's Wake. I've decided it's just Joyce's huge cosmic prank and I've fallen for it as much as I care to.
I like to think of it more as a cosmic indulgence. Like, if you read good companion material, you start to realise just how deep and stupid the puns and wordplay go. But ultimately it's still just really artsy puns and wordplay...
I loved The Diamond Age, but I still haven't gone back and reread the last part of it. I was thinking I'd let some time pass and then go back and reread the whole thing. I really loved the idea of the primer, wish I'd had one growing up!
I loved The Sprawl trilogy too, I love cyberpunk in general. I don't know what else to read in that genre now. I think I've read all the most popular ones. Charles Stross, Neil Stephenson, William Gibson - who else writes well in that genre?
The Double by Fyodor Dostoyevesky.
The Double by Fyodor Dostoyevesky.
Loved it. I want to see a movie made out of it, set in modern times, with Jim Carrey in the main role.
The Double by Fyodor Dostoyevesky.
Loved it. I want to see a movie made out of it, set in modern times, with Jim Carrey in the main role.
Yeah, it was bonkers, but great. Also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Double_(2013_film) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Double_(2013_film))
Flatland is awesome. It really gets your brain thinking, even though it is well over a hundred years old.
Just started "Flat Earth - the history of an infamous idea". It's pretty good so far.
Harry was breathing in short gasps. His voice came out choked. "You can't DO that!"
"It's only a Transfiguration," said Professor McGonagall. "An Animagus transformation, to be exact."
"You turned into a cat! A SMALL cat! You violated Conservation of Energy! That's not just an arbitrary rule, it's implied by the form of the quantum Hamiltonian! Rejecting it destroys unitarity and then you get FTL signalling! And cats are COMPLICATED! A human mind can't just visualise a whole cat's anatomy and, and all the cat biochemistry, and what about the neurology? How can you go on thinking using a cat-sized brain?"
Professor McGonagall's lips were twitching upward harder now. "Magic."
Just finished Jasper Jones, by Craig Silvey. Some really intense stuff.
Meh. I would recommend Frankenstein for any English Lit fan. Not the first edition, but the second edition.
Just finished Jasper Jones, by Craig Silvey. Some really intense stuff.
Meh. I would recommend Frankenstein for any English Lit fan. Not the first edition, but the second edition.
I enjoyed the hell out of the first edition, though the language is pretty archaic.
I'm currently reading the first edition of Moby-Dick or The Whale by Herman Melville. It's an absolute slog though enjoyable none the less.
Well I finally finished reading Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. Learned quite a bit. To much to talk about in a single post.
Next book, anybody know a good book that covers either the french revolution of the American revolution?
I’ve heard William Shirer had a negative view of homosexuality and wrote that the Nazi leaders were involved in this. Did you read anything to that effect?
For a history of the American revolution, check out the ‘Counter Revolution of 1776’ by Gerald Horne which argues it was fought to preserve slavery as Britain legalised slavery in the 1770’s (& throughout the Empire in 1830) & views the USA as preserving the worst of British colonialism which itself was mellowing with age with its abolitionist Movement spearheading nineteenth century socialist legislation.
This is a criticism of the book that came up in Wikipedia. But this is a very minor part of the story. It has to do with Ernst Rohm. The point he was trying to make was that Hitler was willing to overlook all kinds of criminal/unethical behavior if it could earn him support. Shirer lumped in homosexuality with immoral behavior. He did seem to have a negative opinion of it but its about what you would expect from someone of that generation.
Just finished Jasper Jones, by Craig Silvey. Some really intense stuff.
Meh. I would recommend Frankenstein for any English Lit fan. Not the first edition, but the second edition.
Pretty much any field guide/informational book about birds. I've forgotten a lot of my bird knowledge over the winter. My favorite field guide is the fifth edition of National Geographic's
Field Guide to the Birds of North America.
The Silmarillion. I haven't read it before. And I'm remembering how much I really enjoy Tolkien's writing. I might just have to read the Hobbit and LotR books again.Did you read the whole thing? I've read parts of it but not the whole thing.
The Silmarillion. I haven't read it before. And I'm remembering how much I really enjoy Tolkien's writing. I might just have to read the Hobbit and LotR books again.Did you read the whole thing? I've read parts of it but not the whole thing.
I'm re-reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy.
I'm re-reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy.
I love that book.
After a discussion in which The Dark Tower series came up yesterday, I realized I haven't ever completed it. So I picked up my copy of The Gunslinger today and I'm making my way through. I still need to get a copy of the last 3 books (that includes The Wind Through the Keyhole).
Reading the communist manifesto. Its, um, kind of ridiculous. I can almost see why conservatives freak out at the notion of communism.It's not at all ridiculous if you live in mid 19th century Germany. Which part did you find ridiculous? Some of it is very irrelevant to today, but some of it is also very easily misunderstood today.
Reading the communist manifesto. Its, um, kind of ridiculous. I can almost see why conservatives freak out at the notion of communism.It's not at all ridiculous if you live in mid 19th century Germany. Which part did you find ridiculous? Some of it is very irrelevant to today, but some of it is also very easily misunderstood today.
I got half way through it and then decided that I didn't have enough knowledge of the world in which it was written to really judge it fairly. But here's a few thoughts.
It mentions destroying the family as it's an instrument of oppression. What the fuck does that even mean? This one is so preposterous that I assume I must be missing something.
Many times he mentions that capitalism has made goods and service much cheaper. But he phrases it like it's a bad thing. It strikes me as out of touch with reality to not appreciate why making things we need to survive cheaper and more available is a good thing.Where was that specifically? Because he obviously doesn't think it is bad for things to be easily available, he is extremely supportive of ending scarcity in all of his writings. I don't really remember him saying something like that.
The world he describes is one I'm unfamiliar with. America doesn't fit his description of class struggle all that well.Class struggle in modern America has been bluntened significantly compared to other countries, largely because of various ideological reasons. However it's not that it isn't there, it's just not as obvious, though it seems like it's getting more acute more recently.
I feel that applying the Communist Manifesto on the society I live in is a lot like applying the ideas of Ayn Rand. Rand's point of view might make sense in Russia. It's nonsensical here.Well, the CM is not exactly something you apply anyways, it was a text Marx and Engels wrote to rile people up for a conference of the communist party, it's not really a political program.
This last point isn't really a criticism. Looking at some of things Marx proposes, I think he sort of won. The peasants have a lot of workplace protections and a social safety net that Marx seems to vaguely propose. It makes me think that communism and capitalism really aren't mutually exclusive.You're not wrong that a lot of things were won in subsequent years (which is why I said part of it is pretty irrelevant), but also communism and capitalism are obviously very mutually exclusive. The mode of production didn't change substantially, it's just that certain concessions were made.
*edit. Oh. It also mentions abolishing private property. How does that even work?That's one of the most common misunderstandings. There is a difference between personal and private property. Your PC is personal property. Your toothbrush is personal property. Your books? Personal property. They're yours. No one will mess with your toothbrush. But maybe you own an apartment and you rent it to someone. Maybe you own a factory, or a farm, or a mine. These things are private property. They are capital, they are property which produces things and/or generates profit. This is the kind of property that will be abolished, because profit will be (eventually, in what Marx calls the higher stage of communism) abolished, and the people as a whole will control production and distribute resources produced from each according to their ability to each according to their need.
Oh, also, you should read the rest, there is a part at the end of the second chapter where they actually do lay down some things that they believe should be done for starters in developed countries. The 3rd chapter is mostly about trash talking other socialists of the time who are not the right kind of socialists, but it's useful because it makes you understand how marxism differs form various utopian ideas, opportunism, etc. You can draw parallels to modern disagreements between various leftist movements.
Oh, "bourgeois" is a far more common word in Europe, I assumed it was the same in the US. It does map to modern economic classes. The bourgeois are the capitalists, the upper class, those who own the means of production, and more modern Marxists also lump in managers etc. The bourgeois are the company stockholders, the big landlords, the tycoons, the CEOs, the stock brokers, the bankers, etc. The petit bourgeoisie or petty bourgeoisie are the small business owners (and sometimes intellectuals, academics etc are also classified as such), the working class is, well, the working class, and then you also have the lumpen proletariat which is the destitute, the vagrants, the criminals etc, basically the margins of society.Oh, also, you should read the rest, there is a part at the end of the second chapter where they actually do lay down some things that they believe should be done for starters in developed countries. The 3rd chapter is mostly about trash talking other socialists of the time who are not the right kind of socialists, but it's useful because it makes you understand how marxism differs form various utopian ideas, opportunism, etc. You can draw parallels to modern disagreements between various leftist movements.
I'm thinking that I need something written for a more modern audience. But I'll read the rest of it.
It goes on and on about the bourgeois. I had to look up what exactly that is. And I don't think that term even maps correctly to any economic class in America.
What will be the influence of communist society on the family?
It will transform the relations between the sexes into a purely private matter which concerns only the persons involved and into which society has no occasion to intervene. It can do this since it does away with private property and educates children on a communal basis, and in this way removes the two bases of traditional marriage – the dependence rooted in private property, of the women on the man, and of the children on the parents.
And here is the answer to the outcry of the highly moral philistines against the “community of women”. Community of women is a condition which belongs entirely to bourgeois society and which today finds its complete expression in prostitution. But prostitution is based on private property and falls with it. Thus, communist society, instead of introducing community of women, in fact abolishes it.
It sounds like an interesting read. I often think about what the American Revolutionary War was like for slaves. It has to have seemed utterly farcical.
White people, "Yay! We won! We're free from English oppression! It's so great to finally have our freedom!"
Black people, " >:( "
It sounds like an interesting read. I often think about what the American Revolutionary War was like for slaves. It has to have seemed utterly farcical.
White people, "Yay! We won! We're free from English oppression! It's so great to finally have our freedom!"
Black people, " >:( "
Seriously, do you believe the USofA is the worst player on Earth?
You're confusing me with Pez.
I are mostly reading books with silly names at the moment, this wasn’t a conscious decision my back brain took over and that was that, until my goodwife said “Why have you took to reading stupid sounding books?”
I suppose it started with Christopher Brookmyre, novels. Satirical and caustic with covers bearing names such as All Fun And Games Until Somebody Loses An Eye, I thoroughly recommend them if you like noir detectives with humour.
Then it was, The Island of the Sequined Love Nun, which I found in a second hand store and features cargo cults and a talking fruit bat, but Christopher Moore pulls it off enough for me to order The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove , Which if anything is even better.