Reading, ugh..

Szechuan · Post by **Szechuan** » Sun May 11, 2003 7:46 pm

On impulse, I actually bought a book. Then another.. then another..

I just finished 'For Whom The Bell Tolls', and my 'to-read' list now looks like this:

1. Dao De Jing (currently reading)
2. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman
3. Kafka's "The Trial"
4. Angela's Ashes (author escapes me)
5. 'Fury' by Salman Rushdie
6. A study of post-stalinist Russia.

What are the rest of you guys looking at right now?

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Sun May 11, 2003 8:06 pm

Getting into Post-modernist thought, are we? Never caired for Rushdie or Kafka myself, but to each their own. Never quite pictured you as the type, though.

1.The Ancient City by Fustel De Coulanges
2.Druids by Morgan Llywelyn
3.Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock
4.Brunelleschi's Dome by Ross King
5.Meditations of Marcus Aurellius(translated from the Greek)

Eliahad · Post by **Eliahad** » Sun May 11, 2003 10:20 pm

The Handbook of Autism and Pervasive Development Disorders
How the Brain Learns
The Complete Beethoven String Quartets (score)
Franck Sonata in A major (score)
Britten Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 (score)
Um..... yeah.

Kwyndig · Post by **Kwyndig** » Sun May 11, 2003 11:09 pm

A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin
[Untitled] by Kwyndig (yep, I'm reading a book I wrote and haven't finished yet, I want to review up to this point, since I've been working on it for over six months now.)

No clue after that, I don't make plans for reading, I just read whatever catches my eye until I finish it, or I get sick of it, whichever comes first.

Szechuan · Post by **Szechuan** » Sun May 11, 2003 11:30 pm

Ancient History wrote: Never quite pictured you as the type, though.

Why not?

FlakJacket · Post by **FlakJacket** » Mon May 12, 2003 12:19 am

Eliahad wrote:Franck Sonata in A major (score)

Yeah score. Love ol' Blue Eyes myself as well.

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Mon May 12, 2003 12:40 am

Well, Szechy, Post-modernist thought deals greatly with in-depth analysis of perception coupled with lingering bitchyness from Modernist thought. You always struck me as the sort of individual that preferred not adapting themselves to other people's perceptions and fairly upbeat.

Szechuan · Post by **Szechuan** » Mon May 12, 2003 1:17 am

An interest in educating myself doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to start taking life lessons from Kafka.

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Mon May 12, 2003 1:21 am

A valid point.

Ikarus7 · Post by **Ikarus7** » Mon May 12, 2003 1:36 am

I finally started reading "Mozart in Mirrorshade", I borrowed it from a friend months ago and I never had time to read it, but since I have to take the bus every morning now, I have enough spare time to read...

Daki · Post by **Daki** » Mon May 12, 2003 1:50 am

Right now the book of choice is Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. This is in addition to the number of comics I read each week.

Szechuan · Post by **Szechuan** » Mon May 12, 2003 1:51 am

Daki wrote:Right now the book of choice is Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. This is in addition to the number of comics I read each week.

Don't give anything away! I was browsing the Gaiman novels at the bookstore and Neverwhere seemed to be the most interesting, but I won't be able to read it for a while.

Kwyndig · Post by **Kwyndig** » Mon May 12, 2003 1:52 am

Neverwhere is really good, but then again, everything I've read by Gaiman I think is really good.

Bishop · Post by **Bishop** » Mon May 12, 2003 2:08 am

Silver Wolf, Black Falcon by Dennis L. McKiernan.

Rowan, Anne Mcaffrey.

The Book of Three, I'm not sure of the author and am too lazy to go look at the book.

I recently read Go Rin No Sho again.

Daki · Post by **Daki** » Mon May 12, 2003 2:12 am

I actually like Smoke and Glass more than Neverwhere (so far), but I've always liked his short stories and poetry.

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Mon May 12, 2003 2:27 am

I've read Sandman, and it was okay. But really, I don't see the appeal of Neil Gaiman when compared to people like Alan Moore, or even Art Spiegalman.

sinsual · Post by **sinsual** » Mon May 12, 2003 5:52 am

FlakJacket wrote:
Eliahad wrote:Franck Sonata in A major (score)
Yeah score. Love ol' Blue Eyes myself as well.

I do believe your thinking of[glow] Frank Sinatra [/glow] there Flak...not a Hyundai Sonata...

Daki · Post by **Daki** » Mon May 12, 2003 11:55 am

Ancient History wrote:I've read Sandman, and it was okay. But really, I don't see the appeal of Neil Gaiman when compared to people like Alan Moore, or even Art Spiegalman.

To keep this thread on topic, I will only say to this: "To each their own."

Van Der Litreb · Post by **Van Der Litreb** » Mon May 12, 2003 12:00 pm

Naked Lunch by William Burroughs.
Preacher, a comic book series by Garth Ennis.
Various texts and official documents on the Cuban missile crisis.

Angel · Post by **Angel** » Mon May 12, 2003 6:34 pm

Szechuan wrote: 2. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman

Hey, I have this on Video Tape and CD (the movie of course, I'm a babarian!), have oyu seen it? What I like about it is that it has a long interview with Gaiman afterwards as he discusses all of the scenes and characters.

I'm reading the Night's Dawn trilogy by Peter F. Hamilton (including the neutronium alchemist, the reality dysfunction, and the naked god). It's okay, except for the fact that he has sex with the whore but marries the virgin... typical sci-fi romance subplot.

Adam · Post by **Adam** » Mon May 12, 2003 6:37 pm

The BBC Neverwhere tv series is due to come out on DVD in North America this fall. w00t!

Szech: Jack it to the top of your reading list. It's short and should only take a few hours to read, but it's oh so good.

Gunny · Post by **Gunny** » Mon May 12, 2003 6:52 pm

sinsual wrote:I do believe your thinking of[glow] Frank Sinatra [/glow] there Flak...not a Hyundai Sonata...

ah yes, the talentless two-bit hack. (damn I can't wait until I can say that to Daki's family!)

as for books, well, I tried VERY HARD to finish reading Needful Things (Stephen King) but couldn't and thankfully had Daki to tell me about the horrible ending before I spent another two weeks trying to read a book that should have only taken me 72hrs. *deep breath!*whew!*

I did however manage to get into some criminal psyche books (can't recall the titles) and am looking forward to doing more reading on the subject.

[Edit: GOD DAMNED TAGS!!!!]

Angel · Post by **Angel** » Mon May 12, 2003 6:54 pm

Adam, download it.

Adam · Post by **Adam** » Mon May 12, 2003 6:59 pm

I've never seen the BBC series available for download. Given the amount of free time I expect to have until, oh, probably late this year, I may as well just wait for the DVD. ;-)

Daki · Post by **Daki** » Mon May 12, 2003 7:01 pm

Adam wrote:I've never seen the BBC series available for download. Given the amount of free time I expect to have until, oh, probably late this year, I may as well just wait for the DVD. ;-)

Start the download now. It'll probably be ready by the time you have the free time.

ThatWendigo · Post by **ThatWendigo** » Mon May 12, 2003 7:09 pm

Wendigo's current five, as five is necessary number of books to be reading at once:

1) Stephen King's "Wizard and Glass" (Dark Tower IV)
2) Douglas Holstadtler's "Godel, Escher, Bach"
3) Robert Nozick's "Anarchy, State, and Utopia"
4) William Gibson's "All Tomorrow's Parties" (re-reading)
5) Daniel Matt's "The Essential Kabbalah"

DV8 · Post by **DV8** » Mon May 12, 2003 7:16 pm

I just finished Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon and I am looking for something new to entertain me. Meanwhile, I'm reading Gustav Davidson's Dictionary of Angels and Robert L. Kruse's Data Structures and Program Design.

Angel · Post by **Angel** » Mon May 12, 2003 7:20 pm

DV8 wrote:I just finished Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon

I couldn't get further than the first page, it kept screaming "you're not gonna like me!", what did you think of it?

Van Der Litreb · Post by **Van Der Litreb** » Mon May 12, 2003 7:41 pm

The BBC Neverwhere tv series is due to come out on DVD in North America this fall. w00t!

It's quite good, and the cast is fantastic. Especially Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar.

Too bad it looks too much like a BBC production.

DV8 · Post by **DV8** » Mon May 12, 2003 7:42 pm

I loved it. I think Neal Stephenson's style of writing is elaborate but necessary. He goes into great detail where needed, but not in a Tolkienesque way, and you have to be interested in the specific things he talks about in his books. I am looking forward to reading his next book. Either Diamond Age or Zodiac, both of which, I've heard, have a very different style and substance than Cryptonomicon or Snow Crash, which, to date, are the only two of his books I've read.

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Mon May 12, 2003 7:43 pm

Having read both Diamond AGe and Zodiac; I can heartily recommend them and confirm that their styles, while different, both partake of Stephenson's informative humor.

Daki · Post by **Daki** » Mon May 12, 2003 7:43 pm

Van Der Litreb wrote:
The BBC Neverwhere tv series is due to come out on DVD in North America this fall. w00t!
It's quite good, and the cast is fantastic. Especially Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar.
Too bad it looks too much like a BBC production.

Why must the BBC make all their series /look/ like a series from the BBC?

Szechuan · Post by **Szechuan** » Mon May 12, 2003 8:00 pm

Adam wrote:Szech: Jack it to the top of your reading list. It's short and should only take a few hours to read, but it's oh so good.

I'm thinking I will. The Dao Dei Jing is interesting but I need some action right now.

Van Der Litreb · Post by **Van Der Litreb** » Mon May 12, 2003 8:09 pm

Szech: You should pick up the writings of Chuang Tse after reading Dao De Ching (or whatever the spelling of the month is).

Daki · Post by **Daki** » Mon May 12, 2003 8:23 pm

Any relation to the Tao Te Ching? Honest question since they are pronounced the same.

ak404 · Post by **ak404** » Tue May 13, 2003 3:41 am

Current Reading:

The Ground Beneath Her Feet, Salman Rushdie
Imperial Eyes: Travel Writing and Transculturation, Mary Louise Pratt
The Ottomans: Dissolving Images, Andrew Wheatcroft
Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad

Salvation122 · Post by **Salvation122** » Tue May 13, 2003 3:53 am

I recently found my big hardback leatherbound Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and I'm working my way through that. (Just started So Long and Thanks for All The Fish. I think. The one with Fenny in it; I alway get the titles mixed up.) It's cool, because it won't fit in my backpack at school, so I have to carry it around, and people always look at me askance and ask if I'm reading the Bible and I say yes.

Angel · Post by **Angel** » Tue May 13, 2003 6:51 am

Daki wrote:
Van Der Litreb wrote:
The BBC Neverwhere tv series is due to come out on DVD in North America this fall. w00t!
It's quite good, and the cast is fantastic. Especially Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar.
Too bad it looks too much like a BBC production.
Why must the BBC make all their series /look/ like a series from the BBC?

'cause BBC-style is wickedly awesome! Why must everything have a multi-million dollar budget to be entertaining?

Salvation122 wrote:I recently found my big hardback leatherbound Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and I'm working my way through that. (Just started So Long and Thanks for All The Fish. I think. The one with Fenny in it; I alway get the titles mixed up.) It's cool, because it won't fit in my backpack at school, so I have to carry it around, and people always look at me askance and ask if I'm reading the Bible and I say yes.

Somebody gave me a copy of a Russian tv show they had, it's called KinDzaDza. It reminded me a lot of the Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxz. KinDzaDza is about two guys who are walking around some city in Russia and come across a guy who claims to be an alien, with a defective "Space transport device", but one of them takes it and presses the button on it, the next thing they know it that the two Earthlings are standing in the middle of a desert on some planet in some other galaxy, then the meet the aliens..

If anybody gets a chance to see this show I recommend it, it's odd but entertaining if you like odd offbeat stuff.

Now back to the topic...

ThatWendigo · Post by **ThatWendigo** » Tue May 13, 2003 2:08 pm

I justt finished Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon and I am looking for something new to entertain me.

Might I recommend anything else by that wondeful, verbose man?

I've read Cryptonomicon. Snow Crash, The Diamond Age, and started reading Zodiac before it was stolen from me.

and you have to be interested in the specific things he talks about in his books.

Oh, good god, yes. If I didn't already have an interested in computers and cryptography, then Cryptonomicon would have bored the hell out of me. That is, unless I somehow made it far enough to find out about the data haven...

Any relation to the Tao Te Ching? Honest question since they are pronounced the same.

Yes, they're one and the same. Chinese doesn't translate very well to English, which is the source of much humor. There's a reason that asians are famous for mixing up the letters L and R.

I just like that Microsoft's older slogan ("Where do you want to go today?") translates in Mandarin as "How would you like to be taken today?"

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Tue May 13, 2003 2:11 pm

The Chinese have something ofr honesty then, too. I almost wish our advertisements were as straightforward...we're all Bill Gate's bitches.

Szechuan · Post by **Szechuan** » Tue May 13, 2003 3:03 pm

I've finished Neverwhere. It was good.

I now know that 'Battersea' by Hooverphonic is named after a district of London.

Oh, and for those of you who've read it, Portico is a brand of shampoo.

Jestyr · Post by **Jestyr** » Fri May 16, 2003 7:24 am

My current to-read list:

1. Cryptonomicon - just started this one
2. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
3. The Eclipse trilogy by John Shirley
4. The Sipstrassi saga by David Gemmell - a re-read, since Tamino's had my copy for about three years now and I really want to read it again.

5. Ash by Mary Gentle - nifty alternate history, which is always fun

My recommendations:
Only Forwards by Michael Marshall Smith. Reminiscent of Stephenson and Adams, and a great find on a cheap table at a book store.

City Come A-Walkin', by John Shirley. The man William Gibson admits he ripped off wholesale when he started his own career.

sinsual · Post by **sinsual** » Fri May 16, 2003 4:23 pm

Currently reading all 4 of th eHarry Potter books again just to be ready for when my copy of 5 arrives. I am also looking for the DARK TOWER books to read. More becasue my girlfriend suggested them to me then anything else. I will admit I am not much of a King fan but that has to do with the fact I tend to find horror fiction on the boring side. At least the small sampling of what I have read was and I will admit it is a small sampling.

Cash · Post by **Cash** » Tue May 20, 2003 10:04 am

Fortunately, King doesn't do just horror.

Jeesh, I have so many books to read. The top 5 are::

1) Dragons of a Vanished Moon by Weiss and Hickman
2)Fallen Dragon by Peter F. Hamilton
3) Cop by Michael L Middleton
4) The Icarus Hunt by Tim Zahn
5) Guns, Germs, & Steel by Jared Diamond (No, I haven't finished it yet)

Memory · Post by **Memory** » Tue May 20, 2003 10:43 am

ThatWendigo wrote:Wendigo's current five, as five is necessary number of books to be reading at once:

2) Douglas Holstadtler's "Godel, Escher, Bach"

Just out of curiosity how are you going with that?

I've started reading it three or four times now, I keep getting slightly further than the last time and then end up clutching my head and screaming "IT HURTS! IT HURTS!" when I realise I didn't infact /totally/ get the second to last paragraph and now I'm so far out of my mental depth it's untrue.

Don't get me wrong it's a great book but I seem to have to think about each paragraphg for a few hours to get it set and clear in my mind before proceding or else when the next few paragraphs build on it the whole structure falls down.

Jestyr · Post by **Jestyr** » Tue May 20, 2003 10:55 am

I started reading Godel, Escher, Bach a while back and now I can't find it anywhere. Grr. Which is bad because it's my father's copy...

FlakJacket · Post by **FlakJacket** » Tue May 20, 2003 10:15 pm

Pashazade: The First Arabesk, Effendi: The Second Arabesk, and Fallaheen: The Third Arabesk, all three by Jon Courtenay Grimwood. I read all three of the trilogy over four days. Very nice.

Reading, ugh..

Reading, ugh..

Re: Reading, ugh..