|
Quandary posted:I'm about halfway through Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell right now and its really really good and everyone should read it. Fantasy for people who read at above an 8th grade reading level and appreciate characterization. It is pretty good, but a bit meandering. I realize part of that was the author consciously looking to emulate the form of period novels, but it gets a little tiresome by the time you get to the end.
|
#
?
Jul 16, 2015 17:49
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 29, 2024 09:23 |
|
|
A human heart posted:One time Wyndham Lewis said that Orwell would have been in the SS if he'd been born in Germany, which is a cool bit of ownage. isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2015 22:08
|
|
|
Alhazred posted:isn't that the pot calling the kettle black? I think that comment was made after he changed his mind on Fascism, so I don't think so. Lewis was never really a fascist even though he was reactionary at times, he's hard to put a label on and there's not really a consensus on him. This is a cool thing that talks about his politics changing over time, and points out significant elements of anarchism in his thought.
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2015 02:01
|
|
|
Mycroft Holmes posted:Why does post-apocalyptic fiction seem to be overrun with right-wing weirdos? Who are you calling a weirdo? 
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2015 04:46
|
|
|
So how is Go Set a Watchman? Is it mediocre, or...
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2015 08:17
|
|
|
A human heart posted:I think that comment was made after he changed his mind on Fascism, so I don't think so. Lewis was never really a fascist even though he was reactionary at times, he's hard to put a label on and there's not really a consensus on him. This is a cool thing that talks about his politics changing over time, and points out significant elements of anarchism in his thought. It still seems weird to accuse someone that literally risked his life fighting against fascism for harboring fascist thoughts while you are writing a book were you praise Hitler.
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2015 11:27
|
|
|
I recently re-read 1984 for the first time since middle school. It is still an extremely good book.
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2015 18:17
|
|
|
1984 and animal farm are still good fun but like i wouldn't take great cues from Orwell... i'd take them from Aldous Huxley.
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2015 23:14
|
|
|
The thing about 1984 is that it isn't just this cautionary tale or whatever, it is very much a well-realized and unique love story and even a bit of a thriller in parts. So even divorced from what it's trying to say about politics, it still has quite a lot to say about how humans interact with each other, which is far more universal than something like Animal Farm. And yeah, like, Brave New World is good, also because it's a good novel first and foremost. I don't really rate Animal Farm much at all to be perfectly honest with you, for the precise reason that it doesn't have those qualities, nobody sane would actually read Animal Farm for the literal plot.
|
|
#
?
Jul 20, 2015 02:29
|
|
|
Re-reading Chasm City. Can't help but imagine it made into a movie. You'd probably have to split it in two, at least, though I'm not sure where the break would go. They would probably need to move some of the flashback to Reivich's attack on Tanner, Cahuela, and Gitta to the start of the film though, then flash back to Cahuela leaving the real Tanner in the snake pit in part 2. Add in some transition sequences when he has the Sky visions (and throw Tanners face in a reflection at some point!). Even the bit with his girlfriend Zebra being a bodymodded transsexual would be in vogue now, right? Gotta go read some more, but... I like Viggo Mortenssen for Sky's dad. He's got the right voice for, even if he's getting a bit old.
|
|
#
?
Jul 20, 2015 21:08
|
|
|
Is there an active airport fiction thread? The last one got archived  I just finished the Return to Atlantis by payndz and it ruled so hard it could be 2-3 movies by itself.
|
|
#
?
Jul 23, 2015 04:14
|
|
|
Oh my god why haven't I read The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay yet?? Everything I hear about it makes it sound right up my alley. I've started it twice (last year and a few years ago), and both times I put it down in the first 40 pages or so, for no good reason. I was enjoying what I was reading! I need to devote time to this book. Someone slap some sense into me.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2015 14:10
|
|
|
I think it takes a bit of time to get going, honestly. I wasn't really hooked on it for the first 40 pages or so, felt it really start to come into its own right around the time Joe escapes Prague and was really into it for most of the middle of the book, and then was a little let down by the ending. It's a good book, but it left me a little flat. I much preferred The Yiddish Policeman's Union.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2015 23:02
|
|
|
Speaking of Orwell, I finally found this little gem:
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2015 11:50
|
|
|
Baby Babbeh posted:It is pretty good, but a bit meandering. I realize part of that was the author consciously looking to emulate the form of period novels, but it gets a little tiresome by the time you get to the end. The ending is irredeemably bad and super lazy as well. Everything just sort of... works out. Also the Raven King is named "John D'Uskglass," which is retarded.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2015 12:22
|
|
|
Alhazred posted:Speaking of Orwell, I finally found this little gem: That is amazing. I want it. So bad.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2015 18:39
|
|
|
Alhazred posted:Speaking of Orwell, I finally found this little gem: That owns.
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2015 02:57
|
|
|
Alhazred posted:Speaking of Orwell, I finally found this little gem: its seriously the best possible cover for that book
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2015 02:59
|
|
|
Anybody have a link to a site that has penny dreadfuls available to read? Or perhaps a collection available on the Kindle?
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2015 06:45
|
|
|
Anybody know good online spots for listing and selling books? Already got them in SA-Mart, and I've done a few local buy/sell Facebook groups without much success. Wondering if there are any big book selling groups that I haven't been able to find on Facebook. Because of time, I can't afford to list these individually on eBay. And the topics/genre are a little broad to do "lots of" on eBay.
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2015 22:15
|
|
|
Juanito posted:Anybody know good online spots for listing and selling books? Already got them in SA-Mart, and I've done a few local buy/sell Facebook groups without much success. Wondering if there are any big book selling groups that I haven't been able to find on Facebook. Have you tried half.com? It's owned by ebay and you'll have to list them individually, but it's pretty easy to setup and unlike ebay, the listings just stay out there until they are sold.
|
|
#
?
Jul 27, 2015 04:20
|
|
|
The Grey posted:Have you tried half.com? It's owned by ebay and you'll have to list them individually, but it's pretty easy to setup and unlike ebay, the listings just stay out there until they are sold. I'm moving in less than a month, so trying to just get rid of books in larger quantities now. I've had some success in SA-Mart, but that's pretty much it. Nobody at all has followed through on Facebook for books.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2015 04:57
|
|
|
Juanito posted:Thanks for the suggestion. I remember using half.com back in college to sell all of my textbooks. It was pretty nice. Do you have any used bookstores in your area? You could bring a whole bunch by and they'd tell you which ones they'd take and for how much. You wouldn't get as much as selling individually, but if you're just trying to get rid of lots at once, that'll probably be your best bet.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2015 15:54
|
|
|
Tim and Eric's latest book Tim and Eric's Zone Theory: 7 Easy Steps to Achieve a Perfect Life is getting some fantastic reviews on Amazon. You should take a minute to read through a few.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2015 16:32
|
|
|
Franchescanado posted:Tim and Eric's latest book Tim and Eric's Zone Theory: 7 Easy Steps to Achieve a Perfect Life is getting some fantastic reviews on Amazon. You should take a minute to read through a few.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2015 16:41
|
|
|
 You should look into the user reviews as well.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2015 16:51
|
|
|
Detective Thompson posted:Anybody have a link to a site that has penny dreadfuls available to read? Or perhaps a collection available on the Kindle? http://www.amazon.com/Multipack-Ill...=penny+dreadful http://www.victorianlondon.org/mysteries/mysteries-00-introduction.htm http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/27202 http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14833
|
|
#
?
Aug 2, 2015 21:33
|
|
|
Thanks, just what I was looking for.
|
|
#
?
Aug 3, 2015 07:26
|
|
|
Been reading Ken Liu's The Grace of Kings and it fuckin' owns and makes me think I should finally sit my rear end down and read Water Margin. Is there a particularly good translation out there? Particularly something I can read on mobile; I'd rather not shell out for a hard copy purely because the physical size is too much to carry around on the bus, which is where I do most of my reading. I don't really know what thread this goes in so I'll just throw it in here. 
|
|
#
?
Aug 8, 2015 03:55
|
|
|
Amazon just sent me an e-mail saying they were going to give me a free $5 credit for any Kindle book(s) I wanted just because I'm a "good customer". I used it to get two horror books and Agent Zigzag. Did anyone else get any deals like this?
|
|
#
?
Aug 14, 2015 21:18
|
|
|
A Tin Of Beans posted:Been reading Ken Liu's The Grace of Kings and it fuckin' owns and makes me think I should finally sit my rear end down and read Water Margin. I'm partial to the Sidney Shapiro translation, Outlaws of the Marsh.
|
|
#
?
Aug 14, 2015 21:38
|
|
|
Franchescanado posted:Amazon just sent me an e-mail saying they were going to give me a free $5 credit for any Kindle book(s) I wanted just because I'm a "good customer". Have you been buying a bunch of books from them lately or something? I haven't bought a kindle book in about a year (got too many already), so no good customer freebie for me I guess.
|
|
#
?
Aug 14, 2015 22:39
|
|
|
oopsie rock posted:Have you been buying a bunch of books from them lately or something? I haven't bought a kindle book in about a year (got too many already), so no good customer freebie for me I guess. Not really. I usually buy physical books every few weeks, and usually buy used if possible. I get a kindle book if it's ridiculously cheap or on sale.
|
|
#
?
Aug 14, 2015 22:53
|
|
|
A friend has been trying to find a book by (pseudonym) Andrea Ferrara titled Corsican Steel. After neither of us having any luck with library databases or google I told him I could ask in a high traffic forum. Is there some magical resource or secret book cabal where one might find obscure works?
|
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2015 01:01
|
|
|
Farlo posted:A friend has been trying to find a book by (pseudonym) Andrea Ferrara titled Corsican Steel. After neither of us having any luck with library databases or google I told him I could ask in a high traffic forum. Is there some magical resource or secret book cabal where one might find obscure works? I don't see a copy on biblio.com and google hits on swordforum.com seem to indicate the book was just a self-published pamphlet (on knife fighting, so probably not something many libraries would carry either). Amazon has it listed, but as "currently unavailable." http://www.amazon.com/Corsican-Steel-Andrea-Ferara/dp/B006EPB0YU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439684095&sr=8-1&keywords=%22corsican+steel%22 I think you're probably up poo poo creek trying to find this. If it was just a paperback from the late 70's it might be hard to find a surviving copy by now.
|
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2015 01:20
|
|
|
Franchescanado posted:Not really. I usually buy physical books every few weeks, and usually buy used if possible. I get a kindle book if it's ridiculously cheap or on sale. Maybe they're trying to encourage you to buy more then. I didn't get one and I buy kindle books semi-regularly.
|
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2015 14:06
|
|
|
I have always heard that books do a great job at making you smarter but I don't even get how that's possible unless the book is a history or science book. Like what could I get out of a fiction book over reading Twitter, intelligently?
|
|
#
?
Aug 17, 2015 16:04
|
|
|
I don't think that's true, it's just that smart people read books rather than twitter (a dumb waste of time, for idiots to use)
|
|
#
?
Aug 17, 2015 16:36
|
|
|
Grasp of language and grammer, exercising cognitive skills, memory, changes in culture, embracing the emotional spectrum, learning about yourself and the human experience. It does this on a more personal level than movies, because you're doing all the work with your imagination. Also, looking at what books are popular paints a picture of the society that is entertained. What can't you learn with books?
|
|
#
?
Aug 17, 2015 16:58
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 29, 2024 09:23 |
|
|
Franchescanado posted:Grasp of language and grammer, exercising cognitive skills, memory, changes in culture, embracing the emotional spectrum, learning about yourself and the human experience. It does this on a more personal level than movies, because you're doing all the work with your imagination. Also, looking at what books are popular paints a picture of the society that is entertained. Yeah, pretty much all of this and then some. I've learned so much about so many different things and ideas that I would have never been interested in normally but it's easier to absorb when it's part of a larger story. Just having a good narrative flow that hooks you in and gets you to engage attentively with the material in a way that makes you wanna learn even more about a subject after you're done with the original book. Reading twitter all the time will make you dumber.
|
|
#
?
Aug 17, 2015 17:25
|
|