Books

[Krilons Resa]

I'm about half-way through The Denial of Death and must say that it is already the best/most important book I have ever read. It is pretty much going over so much of the existential stuff I have been racking my brain about for years. Wtf took me so long to discover this book?!

 

[J.]

I'm reading two manager books assigned to me for work. Yes, work! One is called the Successful Manager's Handbook and is boring as all hellfire.

The second, Jesus CEO, is actually quite good. It has nothing to do with Christianity so you all can shove your rolling eyes up eachother's asses and then lick 'em (or smell 'em if you prefer). It just tells what made Jesus (or the concept of Jesus, if it pleases you) so successful in recruting and retaining his followers and how he reacted to troublesome situations, and then translates that to today's corporate world.

 

[speed]

So just what do you do J.?

 

[J.]

Right now I'm simply tech/field sales support on a team of about 10. I would lke to be a manager by age 30 whch gives me a little under 3 years. THogh it will be hard to acheive (mostly because the company I work for believes heavily in the good ol' boy system and seniority), I feel it is a good stretch goal for me.

At least my manager is being supportive in giving me good advice and the required pre-reqs for the position. A lot of it is simply common sense, tbh.

 

[spaffe]

I'm about half-way through The Denial of Death and must say that it is already the best/most important book I have ever read. It is pretty much going over so much of the existential stuff I have been racking my brain about for years. Wtf took me so long to discover this book?!

Did some research on that one and it seems very interesting indeed *adds to immense to-read-list*

 

[KILL TULLY]

Re-Reading Hitchhikers Guide To the Galaxy cuz the movies coming out. That book is so fuckin' awsome.

 

[MajestikMøøse]

I finished Conrad's Heart of Darkness this afternoon. It wasn't bad, rather short and a decent read although the point didn't make such a profound impact on me, or I need to think about it some more. Probably the latter because I still feel that I'm trying to make sense of all the different elements in the book.

 

[NAD]

Worst. Book. Ever. Made it through 50 pages and wanted it to die. I do believe that argument is somewhere buried in this very thread.

Figured since ol' Hunter S. died today it'd be a good time to start Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, shit rules but I knew it would.

 

[MajestikMøøse]

at least it was a short.

I'm going to be reading Crime & Punishment by Dostoyevsky next. Hopefully that will be better (omg I'm actually reading on reading week I am such a loser)

 

[lizard]

finished Cornwell's Arthur trilogy.

halfway through a book about the Beatles "Paul is Dead" hoax.

a third of the way through a Keith Richards biography.

and Nad, since you are an outdoors type, you'll be glad to know I found an awesome photo-laden book called "Classic Hikes of the World." This guy (and I don't know how completely it rules to be able to hike about the most awesome parts of the world and get PAID for it!!) grades the sometimes weeks-long hikes on physical and mental difficulty.
check it out: http://classichikes.com/photos.html

 

[NAD]

That rocks! I'm more the "here I am outdoors, now let's sit a spell" type, but I do want to get into backpacking. I bought a nice big pack last year and have yet to use it, d'oh.

 

[lizard]

that book covers several massively cool hikes in the Northwest....I've only been to one in the book, which includes Mt. Washington in NH, where the highest ever wind speed in America has been measured, 231 mph.

 

[MajestikMøøse]

I found an awesome photo-laden book called "Classic Hikes of the World." This guy (and I don't know how completely it rules to be able to hike about the most awesome parts of the world and get PAID for it!!) grades the sometimes weeks-long hikes on physical and mental difficulty.
check it out: http://classichikes.com/photos.html

I seriously want that guy's job.

 

[MajestikMøøse]

I'm about halfway through Crime and Punishment and goddamn it's depressing as hell. I revel in it.

 

[lurch70]

Will have to attempt Crime and Punishment again ... tried it about a decade ago and was a real downer.

JK, I am happy to report that I am about 1/4 through with Life of Pi and so far so good.
Things I learned so far:

1. I think I want a dog.
2. I am beginning to understand my nature as a dog (according to the Chinese Horoscope)
3. Zoos make more sense.

 

[Black Winter Day]

The Brothers Karamazov, Notes From the Underground and The Idiot are all better than Crime and Punishment, IMO. Not that C&P isn't wonderful if you find a good translation, though.

 

[speed]

his best novel in terms of characters and ideas is The Devils or the Possessed depending on your translation. Crime and Punishment is perhaps his most cohesive novel ,and easiest of the large ones to read. If you can, some of his stories are very very good, and funny too. He is one of the few modern writers to try Menippean satire, made famous by Lucian etc; basically the dead or the gods, come back to earth or are on earth making fun of the place. And one of his short novellas used stream of consciousness. Oh and The DOuble is a absolute masterpiece, a psychologically superior story to say Jekyll and Hyde which is somewhat similar and written after it.

He still is my fave writer, but it has been a while since i hav reread any of his works.

 

[Krilons Resa]

Finally finished The Denial of Death this morning while waiting in the ER. Everyone should read this book. Total ownage - absolutely essential reading. Best/most important book I have read in my life so far. Seriously.

I think it is the first time I have read about shit in a book that I have known in my head already and agonized over for years. Like the actual reality of the human condition and the repressions/defenses put up from birth to help cope with and forget about it because it tends to be psychologically crippling. which also directly relates to the human's thirst for the metaphysical.

 

[Krilons Resa]

Also, the quote in my sig is directly related to that shit I just spewed above.

 

[speed]

Nice to see you found some food for your soul.