Now Reading

  On 9/17/2012 at 4:57 AM, vproc said:

 

 

Trout Fishing in America by Richard Brautigan, which is a series of disjointed, often surreal, often quite funny vignettes connected by the idea of fishing for trout or simply the phrase "Trout Fishing in America", it is the source of my forum signature. The edition I have is a volume which also contains a collection of his poetry called The Pill versus the Spring Hill Mining Disaster as well as a story (In Watermelon Sugar) about a hippie community thought by some to be based on the real life hippie commune known as The Farm, which you can read about here: http://en.wikipedia....arm_(Tennessee).

 

 

sociology/political theory

I love Brautigan - his writing style is so captivating.

Sociology

- Anthony Giddens is great - "Runaway World" is a slim volume that will provide much food for thought

- Benedict Anderson - "Imagined Communities" is one of those seminal books that everyone should read

- Ian Buruma - "Inventing Japan" - an interesting and very readable book on modern Japan (well modern up until '65) that is a very good look at the japanese psyche.

Political theory - not so much on actual political theory but if you dig political economy:

- Chalmers Johnson - "MITI and the Japanese Miracle"

- Barrington Moore - "Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy"

- Robert Allen - "The British Industrial Revolution in Global Perspective"

- Karl Gunnar Persson - "An Economic History of Europe"

- Andre Gunder Frank - "ReOrient: Global Economy in the Asian Age"

- Adam Przeworski - "Democracy and the Market"

I just finished reading Man's Search for Meaning.Interesting read. Cool stuff when you're depressed and stuff. Would recommend.

Sputnik Sweetheart - Haruki Murakami

  On 9/24/2012 at 7:38 PM, Nebraska said:

please don't read the rest of the series though

great cover art on that edition...

so I have heard that I should read at least part II, now I am hearing from the mighty Baphomet that I shouldn't???

WHAT DO I DO OH LORD OF LIGHT????

I probably will read the millions of other books that I need to instead of the sequels.

  On 9/25/2012 at 7:45 PM, baph said:

  On 9/24/2012 at 7:38 PM, Nebraska said:

 

please don't read the rest of the series though

I don't mind the rest of the series. Yeah it's a lot more emotional because of Gentry Lee, but you have actual characters.

Just as long as they never turn it into a film. Please god no.

  On 9/10/2012 at 7:49 AM, Murveman said:

I read "The Little Prince" (A kids book) twice this weekend. It was very beautiful.

this is a very special book

  On 9/25/2012 at 8:55 PM, Atop said:

great cover art on that edition...

 

so I have heard that I should read at least part II, now I am hearing from the mighty Baphomet that I shouldn't???

 

WHAT DO I DO OH LORD OF LIGHT????

 

I probably will read the millions of other books that I need to instead of the sequels.

  On 9/26/2012 at 2:55 AM, chenGOD said:

  On 9/25/2012 at 7:45 PM, baph said:

  On 9/24/2012 at 7:38 PM, Nebraska said:

 

please don't read the rest of the series though

I don't mind the rest of the series. Yeah it's a lot more emotional because of Gentry Lee, but you have actual characters.

Just as long as they never turn it into a film. Please god no.

I'm probably being too harsh; there are interesting ideas in the sequels, and I'm always a fan of more characterization. I just... think Gentry Lee is pretty hamfisted and simplistic with a lot of it.

  On 9/25/2012 at 3:04 PM, Obel said:

Recently read this book. It was really bloody good. Great pacing, interesting characters. I recommend it.

I've been looking for a copy of this. I've heard great things about it.

  On 9/24/2012 at 7:38 PM, Nebraska said:

Already on Chapter 9 of this, finding it a breeze, both in the sense that it's not hard to get through, and that it is both very refreshing and welcome.

  On 9/26/2012 at 5:45 AM, baph said:

  On 9/25/2012 at 8:55 PM, Atop said:

great cover art on that edition...

 

so I have heard that I should read at least part II, now I am hearing from the mighty Baphomet that I shouldn't???

 

WHAT DO I DO OH LORD OF LIGHT????

 

I probably will read the millions of other books that I need to instead of the sequels.

  On 9/26/2012 at 2:55 AM, chenGOD said:

  On 9/25/2012 at 7:45 PM, baph said:

  On 9/24/2012 at 7:38 PM, Nebraska said:

 

please don't read the rest of the series though

I don't mind the rest of the series. Yeah it's a lot more emotional because of Gentry Lee, but you have actual characters.

Just as long as they never turn it into a film. Please god no.

 

I'm probably being too harsh; there are interesting ideas in the sequels, and I'm always a fan of more characterization. I just... think Gentry Lee is pretty hamfisted and simplistic with a lot of it.

Yeah i can definitely get down with that assessment. He is hamfisted, but I'm not reading it for great literature (it's SF for fuck's sake lol).

The Sea, The Sea has been a long slog but I'm nearly done with it. Decent enough English novel, middlebrow stuff, but miles better than say Ian McEwan. Notable for having a contemptible heel of a narrator but it's all laid on a bit thick. Still not sure exactly why I picked it up, just had a mad idea that I should read an Iris Murdoch novel. I don't think I'll be going back.

To balance it slightly I'm about to start reading some short stories by Flannery O'Connor (expecting good things) and I've also made a start on Mallone Dies by Samuel Beckett (so far, my main impression has been 'thank goodness it's shorter than Molloy').

Started Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel the other night. Anyone read it? Seems good so far.

For those not familiar with it, it's historical fiction, about the rise of Thomas Cromwell at the court of Henry VIII. Won loads of awards.

Haven't started to read it yet but I must say I really like the aestethics, the cover and design of this book

The figure, the blue, those faux-gold imprinted letters, the feel...

you can't get that shit with a kindle

  On 9/29/2012 at 2:39 PM, triachus said:

 

Haven't started to read it yet but I must say I really like the aestethics, the cover and design of this book

 

The figure, the blue, those faux-gold imprinted letters, the feel...

 

 

you can't get that shit with a kindle

That's one I've been meaning to pick up for a while. Be interested to hear thoughts on it.

this is story

i miss story...

Been reading Junji Ito's mangas... Holy shit, this guy is a genius!

  On 9/30/2012 at 9:27 AM, chenGOD said:

  On 9/29/2012 at 2:39 PM, triachus said:

 

Haven't started to read it yet but I must say I really like the aestethics, the cover and design of this book

 

The figure, the blue, those faux-gold imprinted letters, the feel...

 

 

you can't get that shit with a kindle

That's one I've been meaning to pick up for a while. Be interested to hear thoughts on it.

I have Eco's Focault's Pendulum. I read good reviews about it so I bought it... But I can't really "enjoy" it, mainly because it's really hard for me to read. I like to understand all that is written in a book, but this one, just in Chapter 1, has so many, many references and quotes and stuff that I can't really appreciate it the way I want. I guess I'm too stupid or/and uncultured... I bet that book is written in a similar way, but if you can understand it, I think it's a pretty good read.

  On 10/3/2012 at 6:47 AM, logakght said:

  On 9/30/2012 at 9:27 AM, chenGOD said:

  On 9/29/2012 at 2:39 PM, triachus said:

 

Haven't started to read it yet but I must say I really like the aestethics, the cover and design of this book

 

The figure, the blue, those faux-gold imprinted letters, the feel...

 

 

you can't get that shit with a kindle

That's one I've been meaning to pick up for a while. Be interested to hear thoughts on it.

 

I have Eco's Focault's Pendulum. I read good reviews about it so I bought it... But I can't really "enjoy" it, mainly because it's really hard for me to read. I like to understand all that is written in a book, but this one, just in Chapter 1, has so many, many references and quotes and stuff that I can't really appreciate it the way I want. I guess I'm too stupid or/and uncultured... I bet that book is written in a similar way, but if you can understand it, I think it's a pretty good read.

I really enjoyed "Focault's Pendulum" and "In the Name of the Rose", that's why I want to know about that one...;)

I'm also a fan of Focault's Pendulum and In the Name of the Rose, but so far those are the only Eco novels I can get into... I started The Island of the Day Before last year and it just got completely dry about 200 pages in, after a pretty refreshing start. I'll have to try again someday. Might not have been in the mood.

(edit: re: logakght:)

FP is in large part about the accumulation of those obscure references and data points, and the construction of meaning from them. It might help to read something like The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail first (critically, very critically, with full power to your bullshit detectors) to get Eco's point re: constructing and deconstructing conspiracy theories. And actually the Templar "theories" in THBATHG are pretty good background for the novel, anyway.

But by the same token, that stuff is (in-fiction) supposed by the credulous "Diabolicals" to be occult knowledge, so I don't think you really need to have much of a grounding in it going in... and to try to know everything is precisely the trap Eco sets up for those characters. Don't do that. You can't do that.

go to goodreads.com