By flabberghastly Go To PostI responded in the footy thread....
It can't be more than a fiver, and I'm sure it'll be a quick, painless read. Just get it. Not every book you read will be the best thing you've ever read. I read terrible books quite often. I'm reading one right now, in fact.
A fiver is a lot in these trying times. I might want it to buy Balotelli and get him out of my club
By flabberghastly Go To PostI responded in the footy thread....
It can't be more than a fiver, and I'm sure it'll be a quick, painless read. Just get it. Not every book you read will be the best thing you've ever read. I read terrible books quite often. I'm reading one right now, in fact.
If a book is terrible I will stop, same with games and movies. Just too much other stuff to easily get your hands on.
By Shanks D Zoro Go To PostThanks, I was hoping you would answer.The Woman in the Dunes is the usual suggestion, but I think Secret Rendezvous could be considered his most Murakami-like novel, so you might prefer that.
Anything you would recommend to start with?
By Hitch Go To PostA fiver is a lot in these trying times. I might want it to buy Balotelli and get him out of my clubA fiver wouldn't even buy you a Balotelli shirt, and, let's be honest, his next club's owner will be purchasing his services primarily to put that name on the back of their overpriced rags.
By Woodenlung Go To PostIf a book is terrible I will stop, same with games and movies. Just too much other stuff to easily get your hands on.I know, sunk-cost fallacy and all that, and I do often just put the book down and never finish it (though never sell it - they remain on the shelf, bookmarks intact). The current one I've nearly stopped twice, but I'm being exceedingly generous with it, because the idea of it (not the execution) tickles some festering nostalgia.
Anyone still reading?
Making my way through 'Mo Meta Blues and 100 Years of Solitude. Latter is much more of a slow burn though, but it's good and quite different. Prose is sometimes hard to keep track of.
Making my way through 'Mo Meta Blues and 100 Years of Solitude. Latter is much more of a slow burn though, but it's good and quite different. Prose is sometimes hard to keep track of.
I've been reading a lot more over the last few months, only really non-fiction though
there's a few fiction books I wanna get to, but it's just like... what's the point
there's a few fiction books I wanna get to, but it's just like... what's the point
By ReRixo Go To PostI've been reading a lot more over the last few months, only really non-fiction though
there's a few fiction books I wanna get to, but it's just like… what's the point
Creative non-fiction?
By ReRixo Go To PostI've been reading a lot more over the last few months, only really non-fiction thoughbecause they're well written and tell a great story
there's a few fiction books I wanna get to, but it's just like… what's the point
Reading The Reality Dysfunction at the moment, about half way through with it right now.
Been awhile since I've sat down and read anything for this long.
Hard to put down.
Been awhile since I've sat down and read anything for this long.
Hard to put down.
I always get really into reading for a little bit and then just never pick up my kindle for a while...
Mostly into non-fiction, right now I'm reading The Siege of Mecca and its fascinating. Never really knew much about it before and it provides a lot of context for the middle east.
Mostly into non-fiction, right now I'm reading The Siege of Mecca and its fascinating. Never really knew much about it before and it provides a lot of context for the middle east.
By Phlebas Go To PostReading The Reality Dysfunction at the moment, about half way through with it right now.After all, who wouldn't want to be a galactic fucking machine like Joshua?
Been awhile since I've sat down and read anything for this long.
Hard to put down.
By Zabojnik Go To PostAfter all, who wouldn't want to be a galactic fucking machine like Joshua?God Joshua is great, my favorite character so far.
Honorable mention to Syrinx.
Books! Re-read Heart of Darkness because it's the subject in one of my uni courses. Difficult to read because of the subject matter and the first essay I read really tore into Joseph Conrad. I understand why some argue that he was a massive racist.
I'm currently reading Lady of the Lake. The seventh and last book in the Witcher saga. I Read the entire saga this summer.
Would definitely recommend them if you're a fan of the games, but I must warn you: the fan translations can be spotty at times.
I'm currently reading Lady of the Lake. The seventh and last book in the Witcher saga. I Read the entire saga this summer.
Would definitely recommend them if you're a fan of the games, but I must warn you: the fan translations can be spotty at times.
By Apollo Go To PostIs the Three Body Problem as great as people say?Yes
The Dark Forest is even better.
By Baconsaurus Go To PostYes
The Dark Forest is even better.
Good to hear. I'm going to pick the trilogy up.
Reading TNC's Between the World and Me.
I feel like...I'm discovering that black people write books all over again.
I feel like...I'm discovering that black people write books all over again.
By Phoenix RISING Go To PostReading TNC's Between the World and Me.
I feel like…I'm discovering that black people write books all over again.
I really wished I liked his writing because what he says is true but I hate his prose so much.
I recently finished David Mitchell's Slade House.
Meh.
It felt like a "ghost story" told by some acolyte of Rudolf Steiner.
Any menace that could've been in the novel was systematically desiccated by the ceaseless exposition. Meanwhile, the characters all appear to have been written with vibrantly colored markers, rather than a proper pen: to give them some sense of identity, he needs them to blurt out their defining thoughts in their far-too-clean self-narrations.
Meh.
It felt like a "ghost story" told by some acolyte of Rudolf Steiner.
Any menace that could've been in the novel was systematically desiccated by the ceaseless exposition. Meanwhile, the characters all appear to have been written with vibrantly colored markers, rather than a proper pen: to give them some sense of identity, he needs them to blurt out their defining thoughts in their far-too-clean self-narrations.
1Q84
Compelling enough to keep me reading -- which alone is impressive, considering its 900+ pages -- but the novel drags itself into redundancy by the third book. Murakami's characterization is vivid and rewarding (I was especially fond of Ushikawa, a sleazy and self-loathing PI who Murakami endeavors to humanize even as he paints him in the worst light). He never bothers to explain the world he constructs (an alternate version of Earth, circa 1984), a bizarre world which abounds with what seem like arbitrary details: two moons, "Little People" who emerge from the mouths of the dead, a slightly different historical timeline. The world itself is merely a backdrop for a complex and serendipitous love story -- which might be the work's greatest weakness, because that love never culminates into anything convincing.
But maybe that's the point: the book is about loneliness, estrangement, and the desperate and unlikely hope of alleviating that solitude. It's a mixed bag, and I don't know that I'd recommend it unless you're an avid fan of Murakami.
Compelling enough to keep me reading -- which alone is impressive, considering its 900+ pages -- but the novel drags itself into redundancy by the third book. Murakami's characterization is vivid and rewarding (I was especially fond of Ushikawa, a sleazy and self-loathing PI who Murakami endeavors to humanize even as he paints him in the worst light). He never bothers to explain the world he constructs (an alternate version of Earth, circa 1984), a bizarre world which abounds with what seem like arbitrary details: two moons, "Little People" who emerge from the mouths of the dead, a slightly different historical timeline. The world itself is merely a backdrop for a complex and serendipitous love story -- which might be the work's greatest weakness, because that love never culminates into anything convincing.
But maybe that's the point: the book is about loneliness, estrangement, and the desperate and unlikely hope of alleviating that solitude. It's a mixed bag, and I don't know that I'd recommend it unless you're an avid fan of Murakami.
About 300 pages into The Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich after reading through the whole of ASOIAF. I do believe I will re-read The Dark Tower series again after that before the film comes out - I did want to read a couple of shorter books before going into another big series but what do you do? 😁
I probably have 10 books on my to read list. I don't even bother going on Amazon to look for books anymore. Too much temptation.
I probably have 10 books on my to read list. I don't even bother going on Amazon to look for books anymore. Too much temptation.
I abandoned 1Q84 after a few hundred pages. Felt like a rambling, humorless allegory that put into fiction the ideas expressed as washbasin-deep sociologizing at the end of Underground.
And, Noal, I don't know how your list can be so small. I have at least 10 unread books on the shelf next to me - all of which I'm eager to read, whenever I get around to them.
And, Noal, I don't know how your list can be so small. I have at least 10 unread books on the shelf next to me - all of which I'm eager to read, whenever I get around to them.
Currently reading Don't make me think, looking forward to reading Ponder on this eventually though...
By flinbad the flailer Go To PostAnd, Noal, I don't know how your list can be so small. I have at least 10 unread books on the shelf next to me - all of which I'm eager to read, whenever I get around to them.
In total, around the house, I have probably 16 books I have yet to read. I also have around 20 books on my Amazon Wish list. I do believe one has been on there for eight years!
I also have two copies of Born Of The Fourth Of July - The pitfalls of sending your wish list to others near your birthday.
By flinbad the flailer Go To PostI prefer his less sprawling novels: A Wild Sheep Chase; South of the Border, West of the Sun; and Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. Especially that first one.
I generally like Murakami's work. I just found the aforementioned work tiresome and unappealing.
I've still yet to read Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki. I should probably get around to that.
I've still yet to read Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki. I should probably get around to that.
So, don't know if this is the place to ask but anyone has ordered from bookdepository.com?
A friend of mine told me about it, mainly because it has free shipping worldwide and that's huge when ordering from Argentina.
A friend of mine told me about it, mainly because it has free shipping worldwide and that's huge when ordering from Argentina.
By Elchele Go To PostSo, don't know if this is the place to ask but anyone has ordered from bookdepository.com?All the time.
A friend of mine told me about it, mainly because it has free shipping worldwide and that's huge when ordering from Argentina.
By flinbad the flailer Go To PostYeah. In fact, they're owned by Amazon.Then that would explain it then. 😊
I am reading Norm Macdonald's Based on a True Story: A Memoir
It is not a true memoir in the same sense as a true recollection of events. It's a piece that leans heavily in fiction, framed by certain facts of his life. It's less an autobiography and more a hybrid of Hunter S Thompson, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and Steinback, with meta framing devices and interjections, along with a folksy Twain voice.
So it's pretty fun to read and funny as well. It also goes some dark places.
It is not a true memoir in the same sense as a true recollection of events. It's a piece that leans heavily in fiction, framed by certain facts of his life. It's less an autobiography and more a hybrid of Hunter S Thompson, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and Steinback, with meta framing devices and interjections, along with a folksy Twain voice.
So it's pretty fun to read and funny as well. It also goes some dark places.
Maybe I'll read that next. Always been a fan of Norm's style.
I'm reading Narconomics. Entertaining and sort of brutal getting a look at cartel violence, but the writing is pretty simple and accessible. Early on he points out how murder is the only way for these 'companies' to enforce contracts. I guess that's not the most original thought, but it's sort of a morbidly funny.
I'm reading Narconomics. Entertaining and sort of brutal getting a look at cartel violence, but the writing is pretty simple and accessible. Early on he points out how murder is the only way for these 'companies' to enforce contracts. I guess that's not the most original thought, but it's sort of a morbidly funny.
By flinbad the flailer Go To PostI generally like Murakami's work. I just found the aforementioned work tiresome and unappealing.Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki is not as devastating as A Wild Sheep Chase (which I mentioned), but it's as delicate and satisfying as his best short stories.
I've still yet to read Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki. I should probably get around to that.
I've read a lot of Murakami, and it's good to find that he can still surprise me: there are a couple of well-drawn, and interesting female characters here (the best of his career?); a strong sense of place when his title character visits Finland; a lovely final chapter that builds to a crescendo of comedy and pathos; and a striking depiction of grief as physical pain that rings true.
The trains Tsukuru obsesses over, though firmly in the present, carry the same metaphoric baggage as the sci-fi trains of 2046 – symbols of the possible, but viewed from the mournful perspective of middle age, in which the characters are all too aware of the connections missed, passengers forgotten, stations long past.
Excerpt:
It had started raining again, a soft, quiet rain. The rushing stream drowned out the sound of the rain. Haida could tell it was raining only by the slight variation in the air against his skin.
Sitting in that small room across from Midorikwa suddenly felt strange to him, as if they were in the midst of something impossible, something at odds with the principles of nature. Haida grew dizzy. In the still air he'd caught a faint whiff of death, the smell of slowly rotting flesh. But it had to be an illusion. Nobody there was dead yet.
"You'll be going back to college in Tokyo before much longer," Midorikawa quietly stated. "And you'll return to real life. You need to live it to the fullest. No matter how shallow and dull things might get, this life is worth living. I guarantee it. And I'm not being either ironic of paradoxical. It's just that, for me, what's worthwhile in life has become a burden, something I can't shoulder anymore. Maybe I'm just not cut out for it. So, like a dying cat, I've crawled into a quiet, dark place, silently waiting for my time to come. It's not so bad. But you're different. You should be able to handle what life sends your way. You need to use the thread of logic, as best you can, to skillfully sew onto yourself everything that's worth living for."
I read A Wild Sheep Chase this year for the first time after reading the Pinball/Wind collection. The Rat's story hit me like a bag of bricks.
I really need to update my goodreads. I've been on a Star Wars kick and decided I'm going to read all of the new canon. So far I've done 8 novels and 2 comics.
I've picked up several books in last 2-3 months but haven't started any of them. Need to change that.
By flinbad the flailer Go To PostThe Woman in the Dunes is the usual suggestion
Every semester I encourage students to read this and experience that special alarm when THE LADDER IS GONE. FUCK. GONE. The film isn't remotely so powerful.
I read Kevin Jackson's Constellation of Genius - a day by day tracking of European cultural life (Cocteau, Murnau, Joyce, Eliot, Fitzgerald, Kafka) in 1922. It's good. Jackson is a bloody unstoppably fine journalist.
Also G.W. Bowersock's From Gibbon to Auden: Essays on the Classical Tradition. It's good but it's just a tissue of lectures and book reviews, innit. Some novel and engaging bits - did not know about the performance of Oedipus the King (in Greek) at Harvard, with Emerson, Whittier, Longfellow, Henry James and others all in a row in the audience. American Hellenism is amazingly interesting.
Starting Peter Hopkirk's On Secret Service East of Constantinople: The Plot to Bring Down the British Empire. I have extraordinarily high expectations - his book about the Great Game is brilliant.
Does anybody read it? Billy Milligan
http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1446923439l/27562700.jpg
http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1446923439l/27562700.jpg
Out of the gate, this book takes a dump on Luke Cage, validating my hatred for the character when I was growing up.
Looking forward to digging in to some "lost" history of blacks in the sequential art medium.
By Apollo Go To PostCan I get a link so I can pick that up?
https://www.amazon.com/Blacker-Ink-Constructions-Identity-Sequential/dp/0813572339
Finally reading Guns, Germs & Steel.
A bit dry in spots (extensive discussion of the domestication of plant varieties had me snoring) but I'm in the part about the development of written language and it's very interesting.
A bit dry in spots (extensive discussion of the domestication of plant varieties had me snoring) but I'm in the part about the development of written language and it's very interesting.
I started up 1984 the other day since I never actually read it all the way through. And... it's kind of just "ok". Seems like Orwell dreamt up this insane world and the characters and story were just an afterthought. I'm about 60% through it but it's starting to pick up after Winston and Julia go to O'Brien's house.