The Books/Reading Thread

[Vimana]

Currently in the middle of Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid. This book has changed a lot of the way I look at the universe, mostly as to how peculiar a lot of things are.

For example, systems we create like math, logic, etc. are just symbolic representations of processes we do in our heads, since the systems themselves do not describe how they work. However, these systems can help illuminate various aspects of the universe we would otherwise have not gained through our bare intelligence. I find it very strange how we can make up symbols in our heads that are less complex and descriptive than the cognitive processes they reference yet the use of such symbols enables us to expand the complexity and description of the cognitive processes where they originate.

 

[unknown]

going along the Bolano train, I just got Last Evenings on Earth...plan to tackle it and several others this summer

 

[End of Glory]

Since I'm appreciating Caladan Brood so much I'm gonna try to read Steven Erikson's book/books. Only problem is that I'm a fatass idiot who finds reading books boring..

 

[Master_Yoda77]

You'll probably hate them, as Erikson's prose is kinda difficult to get into. He likes to not tell the reader what the fuck is actually going on and expects them to interpret for themselves. I find this rewarding, but others probably hate it. Also, the first book is quite slow.

 

[crimsonfloyd]

Re: Bolano- Loved both 2666 and Savage Detectives. Both are structurally very original works. Savage Detectives especially. It's like a collection of short stories embedded in a diary.

 

[Cronopio]

I've had 2666 on my bookshelf for years now. I really need to read it.

It's excellent. Once you get into it, you just keep going. The way Bolaño handled prose is nothing short of amazing. And I wasn't that into the story itself from the beginning.

Currently in the middle of Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid. This book has changed a lot of the way I look at the universe, mostly as to how peculiar a lot of things are.

Need to read that. Could you classify it as a pop science book?

going along the Bolano train, I just got Last Evenings on Earth...plan to tackle it and several others this summer

Love short stories, and that book was great. Waiting for the paperback version of The Return to be released. The Picador covers are awesome.

Re: Bolano- Loved both 2666 and Savage Detectives. Both are structurally very original works. Savage Detectives especially. It's like a collection of short stories embedded in a diary.

That's what he does so well; taking a shitload of characters, having them tell their stories separately and yet weaving it all together. And it's like he just starts out writing about some trivial subject and just keeps going, and eventually a story comes out.

 

[rms]

Taking a summer course reading Medieval Icelandic Sagas, reading Egil's now. Meh.

 

[The Ozzman]

Ozzman: you just went up from "total faggot" to "kinda faggot" on my list with that post. Keep it up, and I may put you on my "non-faggot"

I love you too.

 

[Einherjar86]

You'll probably hate them, as Erikson's prose is kinda difficult to get into. He likes to not tell the reader what the fuck is actually going on and expects them to interpret for themselves. I find this rewarding, but others probably hate it. Also, the first book is quite slow.

You thought the first book was slow?

 

[End of Glory]

You'll probably hate them, as Erikson's prose is kinda difficult to get into. He likes to not tell the reader what the fuck is actually going on and expects them to interpret for themselves. I find this rewarding, but others probably hate it. Also, the first book is quite slow.

Fuck it... I'm too lazy anyway. I'll just take a drive to McDonalds or Burger King, pick up something to eat and just enjoy some Bathory and Caladan Brood instead.

 

[Master_Yoda77]

That's a good plan, too.

Ein - Yeah, the Siege of Pale hits and it's amazing, and then it gets kinda slow until the Adjunct releases the Jaghut Tyrant. There are some cool assassin scenes thrown in there and I certainly enjoyed the book, but compared to Deadhouse Gates, it's slow. Deadhouse Gates starts kinda slow, but once you get about 150 pages in, shit constantly moves. At least, so far.

 

[Dak]

Finally had time to finish

followed by

Too bad Dubois didn't heed his own warnings. I found the books mostly complementary rather than at odds, as some reviewers were inclined to present them.

 

[unknown]

less than 200 pages from finishing Perdido Street Station. I fucking love it. I don't know why it took me so long to finally tackle it (my copy still has the Border's sticker on it from when I bought it). Picked up the following books recently:

Dark Gods by T E D Klein
The Ceremonies by T E D Klein
Agua Viva by Clarice Lispector

and the following five books by Lord Dunsany:

 

[unknown]

followup: finished Perdido Street Station because I had the day off today and fuck me. I haven't been drawn into a book like that in god knows how long. The worldbuilding is absolutely impressive. The book took a long goddamn time to take off (I'd say it was a good 100 pages before I got into it...it's 600 pages), and Mieville's prose style was very dense and fluffy I thought. I also think he also cut some corners--particularly near the end--but other than that I was absolutely floored by it.

 

[Einherjar86]

Too bad Dubois didn't heed his own warnings. I found the books mostly complementary rather than at odds, as some reviewers were inclined to present them.

How so?

followup: finished Perdido Street Station because I had the day off today and fuck me. I haven't been drawn into a book like that in god knows how long. The worldbuilding is absolutely impressive. The book took a long goddamn time to take off (I'd say it was a good 100 pages before I got into it...it's 600 pages), and Mieville's prose style was very dense and fluffy I thought. I also think he also cut some corners--particularly near the end--but other than that I was absolutely floored by it.

Nice! I love that novel so much. I had a false start with it because it's so slow to pick up; but once it does man...

Now you can move on to The Scar and Iron Council.

 

[Dak]

How so?

How so in reference to Dubois or to the nature of the books (or both)?

 

[dwellerINTHEdark]

Forgot to mention that I finished 'House of Leaves' a little while back. Fantastic novel. I'm sure I'll eventually re-read it to get a better grasp on the events. It would make for a really cool movie, though I'm sure that would turn into a disaster. There's the companion piece, 'The Whalestone Letters'. Anybody give that a read.

Currently reading Erickson's 'Deadhouse Gates.' Yeah, Caladan Brood brought me here. It's great thus far.

 

[unknown]

I read the Whalestoe letters once and wasn't particularly impressed with it. May need to give it another go.

 

[waif]

Glad to see people here are reading the Malazan Book of the Fallen. I'm currently rereading it. Started Toll the Hounds yesterday. I'm pretty bummed that I have to wait a while for the rest of the Kharkanas Trilogy and even longer for the Toblakai trilogy, which is presumably going to be the best thing ever.

Considering making an effort to get into Tolkein. I feel like I should be into that stuff but I've never been able to get into it.

 

[Master_Yoda77]

The Kharkanas Trilogy is the one that predates the main trilogy, right? Have you read any of Esslemont's novels?