|
This morning I finished Buddha's Little Finger by Victor Pelevin. It's an esoteric work that practically demands no small familiarity with the robust Russian literary tradition before entry. The book is a presentation of life as a strange circus where a man can know madness in more than one world at a time. Speckled amongst its oscillations between waking and dream states are lengthy, playful conversations about the nature of spirituality, philosophy, and Russia in the 20th century. It's a hell of a ride.
|
#
?
Jun 28, 2020 18:53
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 24, 2024 09:28 |
|
|
Kull the Conqueror posted:This morning I finished Buddha's Little Finger by Victor Pelevin. It's an esoteric work that practically demands no small familiarity with the robust Russian literary tradition before entry. The book is a presentation of life as a strange circus where a man can know madness in more than one world at a time. Speckled amongst its oscillations between waking and dream states are lengthy, playful conversations about the nature of spirituality, philosophy, and Russia in the 20th century. It's a hell of a ride. You should look at The Sacred Book of the Werewolf by him, as it's equally wild and interesting.
|
|
#
?
Jun 28, 2020 18:59
|
|
|
If you like Pelevin I also recommend this short story https://ru-pelevin.livejournal.com/623702.html
|
|
#
?
Jun 28, 2020 20:07
|
|
|
Thanks for the recs! I had read Omon Ra in college and only recently thought to myself, "What else did that psychedelic cosmonaut author get up to?"
|
|
#
?
Jun 29, 2020 15:25
|
|
|
Just finished Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. Read this book.
|
|
#
?
Jun 30, 2020 04:38
|
|
|
I read Strange Hotel by Eimear McBride in one sitting the other night (it's quite short.) Apparently she doesn't like restrictive comparisons, but she was working with a Beckett archive while she wrote the book and it really shows through in the text (comparisons to other authors may apply too.) The gist of it is that a woman spends various nights, over a number of years, in foreign cities, in a hotel room, trying not to think of something that happened to her in the past, all the while ruminating on what she's doing now (seeing as we're all forced to think.) I thought it was brilliant, the prose is convoluted but, to me, a natural way of thinking when the mind is actually in convulsions. It helps that the prose is quite pretty, too. If you ever wanted to read a more embodied, feminised Beckett you couldn't go far wrong with Strange Hotel. It felt like writing applied directly to my way of thinking, and naturally has entirely split reviews on both Amazon and Goodreads (generally a good sign.) I think it's a future classic. In many ways I've always been looking for "silence" in a work, how writing can capture the feeling of "silence." I think this is the closest anything has come to my desire, by allowing you, the reader, to give yourself over entirely to the noise of another mind. By empathising, feeling that noise, you achieve a related silence for yourself. Like I said, a future classic. There's a nice (if slightly tangential) interview with her here. If my spiel doesn't sell you on it, read the introduction from the interviewer. https://hazlitt.net/feature/there-are-plenty-readers-whom-plot-not-be-all-and-end-all-interview-eimear-mcbride
|
|
#
?
Jul 1, 2020 13:14
|
|
|
The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood - Sam Wasson The making of Chinatown, following the threads of the three main guys responsible for it: Robert Towne, Robert Evans, and Roman Polanski. Theorizes that the three's dealings with death - processing it in different ways for each of them - got the film to where it was and made a classic. Well written and interesting as hell. Total recommend.
|
|
#
?
Jul 4, 2020 18:40
|
|
|
A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine. Space opera about an ambassador from a small mining station to a giant empire. Fantastic, top tier recommendation. Excellent themes of institutional memory, language, and diplomacy.
|
|
#
?
Jul 4, 2020 22:00
|
|
|
I just finished The Dark Forest by Liu Cixin, i liked it a lot better than the first book. i really appreciate the author's ruthless focus on getting all that poo poo said and done in a lean 400 pages without getting sidetracked by obsessively describing tech or making the characters interesting. 4/5
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2020 09:37
|
|
|
Just finished Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John LeCarre basically back to back. Turns out both of these famous and well-regarded books are good. Who knew? Fantastic plotting and really compulsively written, considering that most of the action is just people reading files and then talking to people about what they read in those files. He's also got a real knack for beautiful descriptions. If you've never got around to them, I'd definitely recommend making the time.
|
|
#
?
Jul 6, 2020 11:23
|
|
|
Ascent by Jed Mercurio. I'm a sucker for conspiracy theory type books, but most are just total shite. I saw this mentioned while down a rabbithole of internet Soviet space program conspiracies. It's about a pilot in a top secret Soviet space mission to the Moon. Overall it was a short read and engaging at times, but really flawed and pulpy for the most part. There's the bare minimum of characterisation here, which is not necessarily a bad thing but didn't suit the story and style of the book. The protagonist is perfect - greatest jet fighter pilot in history, as smart and capable as the USSR's greatest engineers, best eyesight in the world, etc. There's a single female character that's ugly and treated like poo poo by the protagonist with a couple of sexual encounters that are embarrassing to read. Maybe that's just to service the characterisation of the Yevgeni the protagonist as aloof and preoccupied entirely with flying aeroplanes but I wouldn't surprised if the rest of the author's stuff is weird too, I'm not really interested in reading any more of it. The space flight stuff was actually really decent and I enjoyed reading it.
|
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2020 12:12
|
|
|
Poisoner in Chief: Sidney Gottlieb and the CIA Search for Mind Control by Stephen Kinzer. I eat non-fiction about this stuff up. It's a very well researched and modern biography on Sidney Gottlieb and his hiring and involvement in several secret CIA schemes including (Operation Bluebird/Artichoke/MK-ULTRA etc...) trying to take control of human behaviour through drugs and interrogation techniques as well as his subsequent roles as poison and gadget maker for assassination attempts. Probably the only parts I didn't like were in Kinzer's reflections that these approaches to mind control were stimulated by fictional media and, in turn, have influenced fictional media, which just feel out of place.
|
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2020 12:23
|
|
|
Maya Fey posted:I just finished The Dark Forest by Liu Cixin, i liked it a lot better than the first book. i really appreciate the author's ruthless focus on getting all that poo poo said and done in a lean 400 pages without getting sidetracked by obsessively describing tech or making the characters interesting. 4/5 this is good to know. I read book 1 after putting it off for years because I wanted to savor the experience after all the hype, and I had to drag myself to the finish line.
|
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2020 20:23
|
|
|
Each book in the trilogy is very different. I posted a review in here a while ago if you want to go look it up. But if you have a problem with his style you won't like the sequels.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2020 17:14
|
|
|
Something Deeply Hidden by Sean Carroll Mind. Blown.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2020 21:14
|
|
|
Just finished re-reading Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (a fun story about BONES in SPACE) in anticipation of the sequel coming out next month, and I noticed this time there's a pronunciation guide in the footnotes at the end and I've been mentally mispronouncing half the characters' names this whole time. Sorry, Palamedes! You deserved better! Not sorry, Cytherea, you were a huge bitch.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2020 23:55
|
|
|
Persepolis Rising I honestly felt sort of lost throughout the whole book, not sure if I’m just losing interest in the series or not. Probably going to read some more GoT and Cormac McCarthy next.
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2020 03:00
|
|
|
ketchup vs catsup posted:this is good to know. I read book 1 after putting it off for years because I wanted to savor the experience after all the hype, and I had to drag myself to the finish line. I was real tepid on the first book too. Flat characters, goofy SF where it's more about expounding the idea than telling the story. This could be due to the translation but didn't encourage me to go on.
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2020 05:20
|
|
|
Japrocksampler by Julian Cope. Great read on Japanese rock music history and its ambitions/roots. Lester Bangs touch, probably need to like the topic to like the book.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2020 01:15
|
|
|
Because I hate myself I read Kurt Schlicter’s lovely novel “People’s Republic.” You night know him as the guy who was retweeted by Trump after blaming the Kurds for not helping us in Normandy. The pluses are it’s easy to get for free and holy god does it instantly give into so bad it’s good territory. It’s an accidental parody of conservatism. The “plot” is that coastal cities become their own country or some poo poo and our square jawed not technically American hero must go there to do hero stuff. The writing is terrible, it’s unclear who is talking when he uses quotes, and there is zero stakes or tension because the protagonists are patriotic murder machines and every liberal communist America hater they face is weak and incompetent. It’s a brilliant accidental critique of law enforcement    In 2040, our DeltaSEAL hero has the finest Vietnam era medic bag  KILLARY and DeBlasio are of course leftist heroes    This is the future the left wants  He respects women!  I don’t know why I like watching bad movies and garbage novels what is wrong with me.
|
|
#
?
Jul 13, 2020 11:24
|
|
|
Just finished House of Leaves. Pretty good and unique book.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2020 22:49
|
|
|
Bilirubin posted:Just finished House of Leaves. Pretty good and unique book. Everything after the navidson record sucks caacaa (as they say), but the navidson record is so good that it doesn’t matter
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2020 22:51
|
|
|
I liked how the Truant story developed in the end but the appendices were not worth much time no.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2020 23:24
|
|
|
The letters from his mother were good until they got all 'code-y'. I just looked up what they said cuz gently caress that im not writing down the first letter of each sentence.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2020 23:57
|
|
|
TommyGun85 posted:The letters from his mother were good until they got all 'code-y'. I just looked up what they said cuz gently caress that im not writing down the first letter of each sentence. 
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2020 00:02
|
|
|
I have been debating about a second reading of House of Leaves for a while but I think I may just leave it at one time. It was definitely a unique experience.
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2020 00:03
|
|
|
i definitely liked The Navidson Record better than House of Leaves
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2020 22:44
|
|
|
The ironic thing about House of Leaves is that its gimmick is that it can only be a book, but the Navidson Record would actually make a really good movie.
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2020 23:47
|
|
|
Doctor Sleep by Stephen King. I love King's characters and this book was no exception. I had my doubts when I heard about the plot and the villains, but one of King's talents is taking what looks ridiculous at first glance and making it work. (Not always, admittedly, but often.) The Shining did not need a sequel, and this isn't really a true sequel to the story of the Overlook Hotel--it's more of what happened to Danny Torrance as an adult. I was interested in seeing the movie, but after reading that they did away with my favourite parts of the book, I'll probably give it a pass.
|
|
#
?
Jul 20, 2020 01:57
|
|
|
Started and finished both of John Darnielle's novels this week: Wolf in White Van and Universal Harvester. I liked Universal Harvester but kind of bounced off Wolf in White Van. Universal Harvester is a neat little book.
|
|
#
?
Jul 20, 2020 03:26
|
|
|
Truganini - A Journey Through the Apocalypse It's a non-fictional account of the lie of Truganini, one of the last Tasmanian Aborigines before they were wiped out in the 19th century. Most of the book is taken from the personal journal of guy called Robinson who was tasked with removing the few remaining aborigines from the Island, of whom Truganini was a guide. It's a much a book about his life and adventures as it is about Truganini. It's a chapter of history I wasn't very familiar with, it covers the history of European interactions with the Tasmanians through to their extinction, but also some of the very early settlement of Melbourne. It's loving depressing what can I say? Truganini's life starts with her mother being killed by raiding Europeans, then two sisters being stolen for slavery (for sex and collecting food), exiled to a remote island and a former prison to see the last of your race die from disease and ends with people fighting over their skulls as museum curiosities.
|
|
#
?
Jul 20, 2020 06:39
|
|
|
Thom and the Heads posted:Started and finished both of John Darnielle's novels this week: Wolf in White Van and Universal Harvester. I liked Universal Harvester but kind of bounced off Wolf in White Van. Universal Harvester is a neat little book. Ooo, I loved Wolf in White Van. I had Universal Harvester on my list but somehow never got around to it. I'm gunna queue it up next. Thanks for the reminder/recommendation!
|
|
#
?
Jul 20, 2020 16:22
|
|
|
Lockback posted:Ooo, I loved Wolf in White Van. I had Universal Harvester on my list but somehow never got around to it. I'm gunna queue it up next. Thanks for the reminder/recommendation! I liked it! Though it was kind of marketed as a spooky/horror book and while it has some of those elements (particularly in the beginning), it's more a novel about loss and family.
|
|
#
?
Jul 20, 2020 17:07
|
|
|
I just finished The Club Dumas and it was just what I needed, kind of an Umberto Eco tribute in detective noir form. Edit- moving my questions to the chat thread Snowy fucked around with this message at 06:00 on Jul 21, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jul 21, 2020 04:38
|
|
|
Thom and the Heads posted:Started and finished both of John Darnielle's novels this week: Wolf in White Van and Universal Harvester. I liked Universal Harvester but kind of bounced off Wolf in White Van. Universal Harvester is a neat little book. Oh interesting, I had the opposite opinion. I really got into Wolf in White Van and the world building but bailed on Universal Harvester after maybe a third of the way.
|
|
#
?
Jul 21, 2020 17:35
|
|
|
Hyrax Attack! posted:Oh interesting, I had the opposite opinion. I really got into Wolf in White Van and the world building but bailed on Universal Harvester after maybe a third of the way. I think most people liked Wolf in White Van more (at least if Goodreads ratings are to be believed) but I found I had a hard time connecting with the main character in Wolf. Decent book though.
|
|
#
?
Jul 21, 2020 18:03
|
|
|
Thom and the Heads posted:I think most people liked Wolf in White Van more (at least if Goodreads ratings are to be believed) but I found I had a hard time connecting with the main character in Wolf. Decent book though. It's explicitly about a character who finds human connection so impossible that he created the most convoluted multiplayer game that is played in the most inexpedient way possible (the postal system) so as to avoid actual interaction. While you may sympathize, you are not supposed to actually connect with him.
|
|
#
?
Jul 21, 2020 18:37
|
|
|
Spectral Evidence By Gemma Files. A great collection of horror short stories, with one central series of three stories around the same characters. Although most stories are stand alone, there are references back to some of her previous work such as We Will All Go Down Together. I really like what this author does, just tight storytelling and strong characters that leap off the page. Its not high art but I find it extremely entertaining nonetheless.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2020 03:38
|
|
|
Thinking, Fast and Slow: Daniel Kahneman. What began as curiosity about the way we think, as a process, became a book I re-read more than 5 times.
|
|
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2020 17:06
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 24, 2024 09:28 |
|
|
Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis. The basic gist is that the gods Hermes and Apollo have a bet whether animals endowed with human intelligence could be happy or miserable. And so fifteen dogs in a Toronto veterinary clinic suddenly find themselves able to think and communicate in brand new ways. Great read, just wish it were longer. Despite being kind of gimmicky I really enjoyed reading the thoughts of the dogs and their interactions with eachother. If you're sensitive to violence involving animals you may want to avoid this one.
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2020 16:32
|
|
