Another one!
At the moment I'm devouring Joseph Conrad's nightmarish study of colonialism and general nastiness, Heart Of Darkness. Some heavy stuff, to be sure - for a 90-page novella. The prose is quite dense, but on the whole the book is extremely well-written, and English was Conrad's THIRD language!
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I've been reading No Logo for about 6 ...
I've been reading No Logo for about 6 months. Haven't really been able to get into it.
I've also got a copy of The Beach to read. And The Bourne Identity.
I need to go somewhere that I can just read read read, and read.
Cool.. The Bourne Identity, The ...
Cool..
The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultamatium are one of the best 'spy-thriller' series every IMHO. Ludlum really knows his stuff, and it shows through in the series - I highly recommend them to anyone.... at all...
Oh yeah and the book is fuckloads better than the piece of crap movie made of it recently.
hmmm, in the last month... A Clockwork ...
hmmm, in the last month...
A Clockwork Orange - hard going because of the language, and not particularly compelling since I already knew the story. I wouldn't bother; it works better as a movie.
The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell. Sci Fi + religion. Compelling, distressing. I recommend it.
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. Good apocalypse story, but the ending was a bit abrupt.
Speaking With The Angel - bloody good compilation of slice-of-life short stories; submissions from Nick Hornby (who also edits), David Eggers, Colin Firth, Zadie Smith, Irvine Welsh, Roddy Doyle, and some others I don't know.
Unfortunately we have a working TV now, and I think I'll spend a lot more of my evenings getting my fix of brain junk food.
The Sparrow is very very very good. I ...
The Sparrow is very very very good. I enjoyed the follow-up "Children of God" too even though the story is quite a lot weaker than the first book.
//A Clockwork Orange - hard going ...
//A Clockwork Orange - hard going because of the language, and not particularly compelling since I already knew the story. I wouldn't bother; it works better as a movie.
I have to disagree with you on this one, simply because the American version of the book, and consequently the movie, does not have the most important 31st chapter. It's this chapter that brings it all together and makes the point of the book. The movie doesn't have that. It's a brilliant book from beginning to end, mostly because of the language and not in spite of it. It's one of the truly great distopian novels.
Burgess also wrote The Wanting Seed, which was just as distopian without the language.
//the American version of the book, and ...
//the American version of the book, and consequently the movie, does not have the most important 31st chapter
hmmm, maybe that was what was missing. I'll track down a complete copy.
in the last few weeks... Down Under ...
in the last few weeks...
Down Under - Bill Bryson
Bill does his travel writing thing in Australia this time. I usually love Bill, but, despite a lot of good moments, this feels like he's on 'remote control' a bit.
Collected Short Stories of Robert Heinlein
Inspired by some discussion on a thread elsewhere (aka picked the story of a plot I had vaguely recalled). I spotted this in a school fair book sale for 50c. Sweet. And it had the story "The Roads Must Roll". And, it turns out that he nicked the idea off HG Wells. So there you go.
The Corrections - Jonathon Franzen
Absolutely bloody brilliant. Well, the first half anyway. The wife tells me it's good to the end, so, if this is true, it'll be going next to Catch 22 as one of my favourite books ever.
I liked Bill Bryson's books about ...
I liked Bill Bryson's books about linguistics, 'A History of the English Language' and 'A History of the English Language in America.'
// Heart Of Darkness. Some heavy stuff, ...
// Heart Of Darkness. Some heavy stuff, to be sure - for a 90-page novella.
// The prose is quite dense,
ahaha. never a truer word spoken. we did it in eng lit. at varsity, and I clearly recall a mate describing it as: "the longest 90 page book I've ever read"
On my holiday last week, i read ...
On my holiday last week, i read 'Flowers of Evil' a collection of poems from 19th century French peot Chales Baudelaire.
I really enjoy Baudelaire, because it's not mushy mush peotry. Good things come out of the dark too.
ok that would be poems and poet....
ok that would be poems and poet.
I'm re-reading Elvissey, by Jack ...
I'm re-reading Elvissey, by Jack Womack. People from the future go back in time to kidnap Elvis so that they can make him their corporately-sponsored messiah. It's actually a very thought-provoking and poignant distopian vision of the future. God, I love the distopians.
I'm also reading a biography of Edgar Cayce.
Damnit, I haven't picked up a book in ...
Damnit, I haven't picked up a book in a while.
I'm tempted to reread some HP Lovecraft best ofs but the weather is so friggin sunny, I need me some stormy days.
Does the latest issue of PC World count?
If you're a Lovecraft fan you should ...
If you're a Lovecraft fan you should check the site below out.... made many long days at the Mobil call centre far more bareable - though I did get some odd questions from the IT manager who thought I was reading porn (he later got fully hooked into Lovecrafts stuff which I found amusing)...
[ external link ]
whoa, cheers. Yeah I've got three HP ...
whoa, cheers.
Yeah I've got three HP Lovecraft collection books. He had a fantastic imagination.
No problem man... I'm a bit of a ...
No problem man... I'm a bit of a fanatic when it comes to lovecraft... I was stoked when I found that site, so I'm glad I can pass it onto a fellow admirer...
Speaking of which, I've been in the process of organising to do a radio play of A Shadow Over Innsmouth for a fair while, we've written three scripts and can't decide which is better... oh well... One day we may actually get round to finishing it...
that sounds cool. If you ever do and ...
that sounds cool. If you ever do and have any roles that need filling I'd be keen.
[ http://www.ilovedoingvoices.com ]
//we've written three scripts and ...
//we've written three scripts and can't decide which is better...
I'd like to officially offer my assistance as a well-schooled and practiced literary critic... Though don't tell my writing group, or they'll think I'm cheating on them.
// I'd like to officially offer my ...
// I'd like to officially offer my assistance as a well-schooled and practiced literary critic...
I'll chat to my friend whos doing the script writing (and luckily has plenty of experience doing this)... we've been really lazy with getting our asses into gear, so a bit of an outside nudge could be good... though I'm playing with him in a country band now, so soem HP Lovecraft influence will likey show through in that too...
(excuse the speeeling and grummer as I am psihed having just got home form seeing The lamps)
//in a country band now, so soem HP ...
//in a country band now, so soem HP Lovecraft influence will likey show through in that too...
Ah, there's nothing like darkness and ambiance, death and the devil when it comes to country music.
There's an email address on my profile, feel free to use it regarding literary matters. Though you may get roped into critiquing something of mine I'm currently stuck on in return.
Yeah cheers velocity - at the moment ...
Yeah cheers velocity - at the moment the the radio plays have been put on the back burner as I'm playing in 3 bands and am finding that I have far less time for that sort of thing than I'd originally expected...
Though it's also becuase we've been slack bastards (my con-conspiritor is the singer in our country band 'Uncle Dad')... but it'll end up in the forefront of things eventually...
About to start The Secret History by ...
About to start The Secret History by Donna Tartt.
Just finished The Fifth Elephant (again) by Terry Pratchett.
I'm reading: The Gospel According To ...
I'm reading: The Gospel According To Ben Elton.
It's like, 2 of his novels in one book...This Other Eden and Popcorn.
After reading Dead Famous I really loved B.E. Then i found this book at Real Groovy and i had been wanting to read popcorn for ages and i had credit so i got it :P Ben Elton is sooo cool.
:) :) :)
[ http://www.watermelon.vze.com ]
im reading Heavier than Heaven the ...
im reading
Heavier than Heaven the biography of Kurt Cobain
by Charles R Cross
im up to page 284
great book very sad story and there are some cute pictures of kurt when he was little!
i actually spend alot of my time ...
i actually spend alot of my time reading lyrics(anyone else do this?)in an attempt to understand the band a bit more, lately ive been reading alot of Stone Sour, Staind and a fair hefty bit of Mudvayne.
has anyone here heard 'Sinch Seven' by Stone Sour??its not on the album but is such a great song!
yes i spend quite alot of time reading ...
yes i spend quite alot of time reading lyrics also, i'm to reading mudvayne hehe wow at the mo just to name one of them.
Incubus have damn good ...
Incubus have damn good lyrics.
Especially off S.C.I.E.N.C.E.
And Mike Shinoda writes good lyrics, though Chester is another story...
Also Matthew Bellamy writes cool lyrics too..
I'm reading 'The Last Temptation' By ...
I'm reading 'The Last Temptation' By Nikos Kazantzakis... It was highly recommended to me and I must say is a big change from my Chuck Palahnuik binge.
I've got one page into Salman ...
I've got one page into Salman Rushdie's "Midnight's Children", but the weather in Wellingtron has been so damn nice, and there has been so much to do, that I haven't had a chance to get into it at all.
god almighty- bin salman- the pompous ...
god almighty- bin salman- the pompous fool has hardly strung a sentence worth reading in his whole career- always check a book with this handy hint- if the first sentence ain't brilliant it's not worth reading- brilliant first sentences are generally quite short and don't give you much info- but just enough that they make you want to read on- i'm on the story of the stone by cao xue qin- not dystopian at all- fun story- but heavy for me- as i'm trying to read it in the original
//always check a book with this handy ...
//always check a book with this handy hint
You seem to have an obsession with heuristics. If you were less blinkered by these, you might come up with something more intelligent to say.
//i'm trying to read it in the original
That's truly impressive. I thought the original text has long been lost, and that all that remained of the story was that which has been pieced together from early copies, which vary widely.
//if the first sentence ain't ...
//if the first sentence ain't brilliant it's not worth reading
I've found that aphorism fails as many times as it is correct. A case in point: Neal Stephenson. The Diamond Age starts well but falters somewhere in the middle and by the end you can't really remember what the book was supposed to be about. Stephenson makes up for it with Zodiac though which is great from the first sentence to the last.
it also tends to exclude many of the ...
it also tends to exclude many of the classics, which come from a time where they didn't have to seduce today's ADHD generation.
1- You seem to have an obsession with ...
1- You seem to have an obsession with heuristics- limegreen
explain what you mean in laymans
2- I thought the original text has long been lost, and that all that remained of the story was that which has been pieced together from early copies, which vary widely.- limegreen
geez lime- i didn't mean the original manuscript- i meant in chinese
3- I've found that aphorism fails- joe
true- but only in the way you mentioned- sometimes they start well then lose their way
4- it also tends to exclude many of the classics- limegreen
ain't too sure about that- all of the classics i've read have brilliant first sentences- name me one that doesn't
//1- You seem to have an obsession with ...
//1- You seem to have an obsession with heuristics- limegreen
//explain what you mean in laymans
Look it up.
Oh that's funny, I'm nearly finished ...
Oh that's funny, I'm nearly finished reading the diamond age at the moment and I thought exactly the same thing as Joe. I must dig out Zodiac.
haha- the spurioudite velocity wants me ...
haha- the spurioudite velocity wants me to explain heuristic to him- haha- funny
Currently I'm readin Babel-17 by ...
Currently I'm readin Babel-17 by Saumel R Delany. A story about the nature of language and how it shapes culture and civilisation. It's sci-fi but quite old (1966) and is certainly a clasic. Well worth a read (its not too long either).
Next on my list is'The Rediscovery of Man' by Cordwainer Smith. Another old school Sci-Fi writer who's life was cut short. It's a collection of short stories (ranging from 1966 - 1975). This guys is seriously good, but can be quite hard reading... Not only was he a great author but also a scholar and a gentleman who sent a fair bit of time in the army...
Taken from part of his brief biography....
'While in Korea he masterminded the surrender of thousands of Chineese troops who considered it shameful to give up their arms. He drafted leaflets explaining how the soldiers could surrender by shouting the Chineese words for 'love, 'duty', 'humanity' and 'virtue' - words that happened, when pronounced in that order, to sound like 'I surrender' in English. He considered this act to be the single most worthwhile thing he had done in his life...
On the go: Monsignoir Quixote by Graham ...
On the go: Monsignoir Quixote by Graham Greene, Learning Perl 2nd Edition (or The Llama Book) by Schwartz and Christiansen, The Brick by James Stegall.
The Llama book is good because not only is it instructive and easy to follow, the authors hate each other's guts and have stated so publically.
The Brick is syndicated at serialText.com and I recommend everyone take ten minutes or so to read the first two chapters. Fantastic.
[ external link ]
Funny, I'm just working through the ...
Funny, I'm just working through the Llama myself. Its very cute! I'm revelling in the geekdom.
Apart from this, just got off a Janet Frame kick - surprising how many of her books are in the local (Suburb of Boston) library.
btw I hear from an ex-employee buddy of ...
btw I hear from an ex-employee buddy of O'Reilly books (the publishers of the Llama) that they've been hit very hard by the current economic climate and are shedding piles of staff in a desparate attempt to stay afloat. A bit of a shame really as they are so cool (in a geeky sense).
Strategies for e-business success ...
Strategies for e-business success (2001) - required text book
This book is crap, two main points of interest though....
1. Most successful e-businesses are in porn. For an industry that is looked down upon, millions of people spend their hard earned dollar on this type of entertainment. State of it.....
2. If you can get people to buy off the internet again you will be a rich man. You could offer all the security in the world and still people are reluctant to part with their credit card number....
Other than that its a complete waste of $100
magazines and text books!if im not ...
magazines and text books!if im not reading a txt book or stumming me old guitar im on here (the net) so rarely i read magazines let alone books. :S
The Newspaper and Girls of FHM 2003....
The Newspaper and Girls of FHM 2003.
At the moment I'm reading a book ...
At the moment I'm reading a book called "Enders Game" , quite a classic, i believe.
I've read it before, but is such a good book, thought i'd read it again.
And i just finished reading "The Tomorrow Series" ....again, second time reading, but its still a really good series.
Enders Game is great... well worth ...
Enders Game is great... well worth while for anyone to read...
im glued to <b>the present takers</b> i ...
im glued to the present takers i found this book - a withdrawn library book - abandoned in a supermarket carpark 4 years ago, and i havent stopped reading it since.
Well, I'm finished Conrad and I'm ...
Well, I'm finished Conrad and I'm getting stuck into V.S. Naipaul's In A Free State, a collection of short stories, travel-pieces and a novella. So far I'm loving it. The man has a simple, yet eloquent, prose style which reminds me a little of Hemingway at times, but is possibly richer.
I like to think that Hemingway wrote ...
I like to think that Hemingway wrote short sentences because writing longer ones would cut into his drinking time.
I picked up the R.E.M biography "Adventures in Hi Fi" from the library yesterday. I've only skimmed it so far but I'm already astounded by the amount of gigs they played in 80s. Apparently Peter Buck still plays 200 gigs a year, the vast majority of them in other bands.