The Books/Reading Thread

[Einherjar86]

Finished the first book of Robert J. Sawyer's WWW trilogy, Wake. Decent story, but I wasn't too big on the segments dealing with the development of the artificial intelligence. It seemed too clichéd and anthropocentric. I sympathize with Sawyer's plight, because I don't think that trying to represent AI development is an easy task; but I think he made it too easily accessible.

I'm now about a hundred pages or so into Richard Powers' Three Farmers on Their Way to a Dance, and it's fantastic. I fell in love with Powers' writing when I checked out his novel Gain, and this book is just as good if not better. It deals with the semi-fictional history surrounding a photograph taken by German photographer August Sander. Powers primarily writes historical fiction, but likes to loop multiple plot lines around each other, usually ones that are separated by several decades. He also has a profound awareness of the historical process as humanity dictates and represents it to itself.

 

[Zephyrus]

 

[Master_Yoda77]

So this is amazing. I've never been so "into" a non-fiction book like this. Champlin's analysis of Nero is insight and fucking amazing at times. The comparisons of Nero identifying himself with Apollo/Sol and eventually Hercules was just interesting as hell to read.

 

[unknown]

so I just finished reading Algernon Blackwood's The Centaur. Holy crap. Imagine if Thoreau wrote weird fiction. Seriously. It's like transcendentalism mixed with weird fiction and bits of esoteric paganism.

The story focuses on an Irishman, O'Malley, who tells his story to his friend, the narrator, of his experiences with a Russian man who he believes to be a manifestation of the Earth's consciousness. The irishman and the russian go on a journey together into the earth and all sorts of interesting things happen.

It's a pretty amazing piece of fiction, and Blackwood certainly isn't afraid to hide his opinions. There is no horror element at all. This is more along the lines of fantasic weird fiction that embraces ancient beliefs and practices. If you like Lord Dunsany but don't want something so whimsical, this should be right up your alley

 

[Einherjar86]

so I just finished reading Algernon Blackwood's The Centaur. Holy crap. Imagine if Thoreau wrote weird fiction. Seriously. It's like transcendentalism mixed with weird fiction and bits of esoteric paganism.

This alone got me hooked. Sounds cool!

 

[skeptik]

I'm actually only familiar with Blackwood's short story work, but I'm relatively familiar with the plot line of the novel thanks to Joshi's commentary. I should pick it up eventually, but I've got a massive backload of books to read as it is:

 

[unknown]

yeah it's only the fifth piece of fiction I've read by Blackwood. Probably gonna read The Willows next just to get it out of the way.

Also my comments about transcendentalism and esoteric paganism weren't far off. According to wikipedia, Blackwood was an outdoorsman and very interested in eastern religions

 

[Der Morgenstern]

Reading some of the books by Raj Patel since I've taken an interest in the economics of food production. Good stuff so far.

 

[monoxide_child]

does the text in internet porn count as "reading"?

 

[Zephyrus]

Full text available here: http://sheekh-3arb.org/library/books/up_coll/Dev_Church.pdf

 

[monoxide_child]

just read the invinceable colected edition volume 2

 

[JontRevolting]

yeah it's only the fifth piece of fiction I've read by Blackwood. Probably gonna read The Willows next just to get it out of the way.

Also my comments about transcendentalism and esoteric paganism weren't far off. According to wikipedia, Blackwood was an outdoorsman and very interested in eastern religions

The Willows is amazing as is The Wendigver the last couple of nights i've read 'The Listener','The Empty House','Accessory Before The Fact' and "Keeping His Promise'.I'll begin reading 'Max Hensig' later on this evening but today I plan on reading Lovecraft's 'Through The Gates Of The Silver Key'.

 

[Vimana]

I'm reading the Enuma Elish right now. I think I may do more reading like this into the religious tales of the ancient civilizations of Afro-Asia. I'm tempted to just go start with Sumer and the Akkad empire and move on to Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, and Israel later, maybe even look more into pre-Abrahamic Arabian religion as well. Unless I can find a book that traces the parallels of all of their stories chronologically, I'll have to do a little research so I can start reading all of these tales in chronological order.

This is pretty fun reading so far. My only complaint is that I have to skip some stuff because the gods relay a message to one another verbatim that seems to grow each time it's passed. But stuff like this is pretty entertaining:

Then advanced Tiamat and Marduk, the counselor of the gods;
To the fight they came on, to the battle they drew nigh.
The lord spread out his net and caught her,
And the evil wind that was behind him he let loose in her face.
As Tiamat opened her mouth to its full extent,
He drove in the evil wind, while as yet she had not shut her lips.
The terrible winds filled her belly,
And her courage was taken from her, and her mouth she opened wide.
He seized the spear and burst her belly,
He severed her inward parts, he pierced her heart.
He overcame her and cut off her life;
He cast down her body and stood upon it.

 

[unknown]

later on this evening but today I plan on reading Lovecraft's 'Through The Gates Of The Silver Key'.

"Through the Gates of the Silver Key" is pretty fantastic, but in my opinion, one needs to read the entire Randolph Carter story cycle to really understand how monumental it is.

or not

I'm currently reading Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino...another favorite author

 

[JontRevolting]

Yeah the Randolph Carter story cycle is amazing,have read it up to TTGOTSK although it was a few months ago but luckily it's still fresh in my mind.

 

[unknown]

okay cool

 

[Dak]

I really, really need to get around to reading Walden.

 

[Cronopio]

I'm currently reading Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino...another favorite author

One of my favorite books and a huge inspiration to my own writing.

 

[swizzlenuts]

I just started the Hyperion novels.

 

[Einherjar86]

I've only read the first two books in that series, but they're fucking great.