What Are You Reading??

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Borkya

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Re: What Are You Reading??
« Reply #825 on: July 28, 2013, 02:42:59 PM »
I think I was just complimented!  ababababab

And I'm reading the Longefellow translation. Not on purpose, it was the first one I found when downloading. It's not bad I have to say.

And by the way, the reason I started reading it was because of this infernal weather. I was talking to a friend and made some "7th ring of hell" joke and then I thought to myself...."I should read Dante's Inferno." So this hot weather is slightly inspiring I guess!

Re: What Are You Reading??
« Reply #826 on: July 28, 2013, 03:19:31 PM »
Then you should try reading "the  Dante Club", sensationalist but fun. Lots of good info on Longfellow's problems with Dante.
"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination." Oscar Wilde.

"It's all oojah cum spiffy". Bertie Wooster.
"The stars are God's daisy chain" Madeleine Bassett.

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kitano

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Re: What Are You Reading??
« Reply #827 on: July 29, 2013, 01:43:57 AM »
I just started reading Map and Territory by Michel Houllebec

I read another one ages ago, I haven't read the one that got him into trouble back in the 90s so I don't know about all that but I am really enjoying this and I loved the first one that he wrote about sexual freedom and all that.
I lap up this sort of existentialist literature when it's done properly, is he an existentialist? definitely in the tradition of Sartre, Kafka etc

Re: What Are You Reading??
« Reply #828 on: August 07, 2013, 11:19:04 AM »
The perfect ending to a good day...curled up in bed with a cup of tea and the latest Neil Gaiman novel "The Ocean At The End of The Lane". agagagagag agagagagag
"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination." Oscar Wilde.

"It's all oojah cum spiffy". Bertie Wooster.
"The stars are God's daisy chain" Madeleine Bassett.

Re: What Are You Reading??
« Reply #829 on: August 07, 2013, 07:11:15 PM »
Baudolino by Umberto Eco -

I have a love-hate thing with Eco, but this one is really hitting the spot. Playful literary medieval romp.

两只老外, 两只老外,跑得快,跑得快,
一个是老酒鬼,一个是老色鬼,真奇怪, 真奇怪

Re: What Are You Reading??
« Reply #830 on: August 10, 2013, 01:35:00 PM »
The Remaining by D.J. Molles - four books of infectious apocalypse fun!

The hero is a special forces dude who was part of a program designed to provide pragmatic national continuity in the event of apocalyptic disaster. He, and Coordinators like him, get sent down into personal bunkers to hole up when news of national threats pops up, and usually they are recalled when the disasters turn out to be not so big. Only this time, it was huge! A bacteria that turns the higher level areas of the brain to mush, and the poor infected into a rabid, instinctual killer, is loose, and spreads so fast that two weeks later, when Lee lets himself out of his bunker and his mission begins, nearly everyone is gone!


It's really interesting reading the books. Aside from the fun story with great pacing and detail, the writing is occasionally clunky and heavy handed. Like, sometimes you come across a sentence that really should have been edited out. And I say, WHAT OF IT! This is sophistication in the making. It's like watching a writer get better as he goes.
when ur a roamin', do as the settled do o_0

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piglet

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Re: What Are You Reading??
« Reply #831 on: August 10, 2013, 09:32:48 PM »
"Room" by Emma Donoghue.It wouldn't be so scary if it wasn't so reminiscent of a well publicized case of kidnapping,hostage-holding that recently went to trial in the US.But here it is told from the perspective of the 5 year old child... chilling indeed. aoaoaoaoao
For people who like peace and quiet - a phoneless cord

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piglet

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Re: What Are You Reading??
« Reply #832 on: August 10, 2013, 09:35:17 PM »
And by the way I am now adding my books on www.shelfari.com so I don't forget what I have read and what I thought about it.It's also a good source of book crits and recommendations organized according to tags and keywords,and there are some discussion groups too.  bfbfbfbfbf
For people who like peace and quiet - a phoneless cord

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old34

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Re: What Are You Reading??
« Reply #833 on: August 11, 2013, 12:57:29 AM »
Baudolino by Umberto Eco -

I have a love-hate thing with Eco, but this one is really hitting the spot. Playful literary medieval romp.



Me, too, but probably more limited. Is "Baudolino"  closer in nature to "The Name of the Rose" or "Foucault's Pendulum"?
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad. - B. O'Driscoll.
TIC is knowing that, in China, your fruit salad WILL come with cherry tomatoes AND all slathered in mayo. - old34.

Re: What Are You Reading??
« Reply #834 on: August 11, 2013, 02:47:25 AM »
@old34 -

I would say closer to the name of the rose in terms of readability, though it's not a murder mystery.

Story of this character, Baudolino, who bumbles his way through some key moments in the middle ages lying about everything and shaping history as he goes.

It's really a meditation on how reality/history is shaped by the stories we tell (i.e. the lies we tell) and the stories that are recorded versus those that disappear into the mists of time.

But it is also a picaresque romp through some bloody and raunchy moments of medieval European history. Good read.
两只老外, 两只老外,跑得快,跑得快,
一个是老酒鬼,一个是老色鬼,真奇怪, 真奇怪

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psd4fan

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Re: What Are You Reading??
« Reply #835 on: August 11, 2013, 03:18:27 AM »
The Safehold series by my second fav scifi author David Weber.

Re: What Are You Reading??
« Reply #836 on: August 27, 2013, 12:20:59 AM »
Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett

I figured I had to read at least one of the real noir novels, but I forget exactly why. The worlds and people described are... different.
when ur a roamin', do as the settled do o_0

Re: What Are You Reading??
« Reply #837 on: August 27, 2013, 01:10:27 PM »
"Red Harvest" is a noir classic, but I personally prefer the novels by Chandler. "The Long Goodbye" or "The Little Sister" are both excellent.

I am reading "The Rise of Ransom City" the sequel to "The Half-Made World". Alternative history steampunk, and rather well written too  agagagagag agagagagag
"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination." Oscar Wilde.

"It's all oojah cum spiffy". Bertie Wooster.
"The stars are God's daisy chain" Madeleine Bassett.

Re: What Are You Reading??
« Reply #838 on: August 27, 2013, 04:12:36 PM »
Okey doke, upon looking it up, The Long Goodbye looks worth a try, thus I shall.

Presently embarking on Jan Guillou's The Road to Jerusalem.
when ur a roamin', do as the settled do o_0

Re: What Are You Reading??
« Reply #839 on: August 27, 2013, 09:29:26 PM »
"Thinking, Fast and Slow", by Daniel Kahneman. Probably a great book, but I just look at the pictures.
 ababababab