The Books/Reading Thread

[rusty water]

I just finished ` Two towns in Provence` by MFK Fisher. It is a travel / food journal written in Aix-en-Provence and Marseille. I enjoyed it beginning to end. I enjoy reading about how peoples lives were in the past. ( I spent a month reading this book ).
I bet that Gulag book, above, is a great read, I have read about the Labour camp system they had and it is interesting.

 

[rusty water]

Can anybody recommend to me the best Star Wars book to read?

Outside of the novelization of the original trilogy (whether you like them or not, I am just trying to avoid recommendations that are too obvious).

I read a book called, if I remember, `Splinter of the minds eye` a long time ago ( in a Galaxy far away ), and remember it as being enjoyable escapism.

 

[rusty water]

Shit, I want to read that Swedish DM book Ozz posted now. I read Lords of Chaos a few months ago and found it to be very over-hyped and mediocre.

EDIT: I've also read recently

This is a superb scene from `Crime and Punishment`, it is about Raskolnikovs article in the Periodical. This acting scene IMO and especially from the detective is just sublime. A great representation.

 

[CiG]

Slowly going through my bookshelf, reading the items I got as part of an Ebay set or through trades with people.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

... i have the original printing of that. Great read. Have you read Grant Morrison's Arkham Asylum?

 

[CiG]

I have not. I don't think I've even heard of it.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

... whhaaaaaaaat. One of the greatest and most well known Batman books of all time. You definitely need to check that one out. I have a feeling it'll end up being a favorite, or at least up there.

 

[EspaDa]

 

[CiG]

@TechnicalBarbarity I think I've expressed before that I didn't really get into western comic books until well into adulthood, with a few exceptions. I've always been a manga kid, so I'm definitely still a n00b.

I remember I'd go to the store and stare at the comic book rack in dread of the daunting backlog of material, thinking I'd just never have the chance to truly get the stories.

In hindsight it was so stupid, as I later discovered that it often doesn't even matter if you're familiar with the decades old material.

Anyway, hahaha. I'll try to track it down. Cheers.

 

[CiG]

Seasonally appropriate.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

...

@TechnicalBarbarity I think I've expressed before that I didn't really get into western comic books until well into adulthood, with a few exceptions. I've always been a manga kid, so I'm definitely still a n00b.

I remember I'd go to the store and stare at the comic book rack in dread of the daunting backlog of material, thinking I'd just never have the chance to truly get the stories.

In hindsight it was so stupid, as I later discovered that it often doesn't even matter if you're familiar with the decades old material.

Anyway, hahaha. I'll try to track it down. Cheers.

yeah you definitely dont need to read a bunch of older stuff in order to jump in. Most writers somewhat reboot/or at least retell a lot of the essential backstories before taking on major runs. For example, Geoff Johns' acclaimed Green Lantern run starts with Green Lantern: Rebirth (https://www.amazon.com/Green-Lanter...7520869&sr=8-1&keywords=green+lantern+rebirth) and he knocks it out of the park for years.(Sinestro Corps War, Blackest Night etc). Not only is it already widely considered the greatest GL run, but it's also considered one of the best superhero runs ever. No one needs to read any of the previous Green Lantern books after what he did. And a lot of writers have done similar stuff where you definitely dont need to go back to get the full stories. But i personally enjoy reading older stuff just as much(if not more so) than the newer stuff.

 

[CiG]

That's really good to know actually, really helps me overcome some of my completist autism I deal with when diving into subcultures so old and vast like comic books.

Really sucks that none of my childhood friends were into comic books and I'm the eldest child so no cool older brother to help me out with hobbies as a kid.

It's also really awesome that older stuff is compiled into giant tomes. I should asap buy Green Lantern: Rebirth I guess.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

if you're going to buy Rebirth then you definitely need to get a bunch of other stuff that followed. Which is one of the downfalls with a lot of modern superhero comics ... well depends on who you ask as some people don't mind reading other books/tie-ins. I guess you can skip the Green Lantern Corps books but they're friggin' awesome ...

• Green Lantern: Rebirth
• Green Lantern: No Fear
• Green Lantern Corps: Recharge
• Green Lantern: Revenge of the Green Lanterns
• Green Lantern Corps: To Be a Lantern
• Green Lantern: Wanted: Hal Jordan
• Green Lantern Corps: Dark Side of the Green
• Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War, Volume 1
• Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War, Volume 2
• Green Lantern: Tales of the Sinestro Corps
• Green Lantern Corps: Ring Quest
• Green Lantern: Rage of the Red Lanterns
• Green Lantern Corps: Sins of the Star Sapphire
• Green Lantern: Agent Orange
• Green Lantern Corps: Emerald Eclipse
• Blackest Night: Green Lantern
• Blackest Night
• Blackest Night: Green Lantern Corps
• Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps
• Green Lantern Corps: Revolt of the Alpha Lanterns
• Green Lantern: Brightest Day
• Green Lantern Corps: The Weaponer
• Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors
• War of the Green Lanterns
• War of the Green Lanterns: Aftermath

At least get/read everything up to Blackest Night or at least the Sinestro Corps books. I guess the whole intimidating thing backfired with all the shit above lol.

Also Astonishing X-Men(Whedon/Cassaday) is pretty cool too, you can get their whole run in 4 trades or one omnibus. Its another highly acclaimed modern run.

 

[CiG]

My wallet is crying...

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

Lol, yeah they milk us. Just go up to the Sinestro Corps stuff and then grab the rest later if you want. I have to admit though, its straight superhero cheese. Not as dark as say Morrison's recent(if i can even call it that anymore) Batman run. I would have sent them out there for you to borrow but a) i dont know how much it would cost to ship something out there, and b)i dont think i can send a gutpunch along with them

 

[CiG]

I would have sent them out there for you to borrow but a) i dont know how much it would cost to ship something out there, and b)i dont think i can send a gutpunch along with them

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

Tbh i would recommend you check out the Paul Chadwicks Concrete before i can even recommend any modern/newish stuff. A fucking masterpiece. Not a superhero book though.

edit: Seriously though, if i can rec only one book for you to read, that one would be it. I'm also sure that @Vilden and @Vegard Pompey would also enjoy it. READ THAT SHIT GUYZ!

 

[The Ozzman]

Currently reading:


I read the one about the Italian/Sicilian campaign but I need to re-read it again.

Also reading:

The Myth of the 20th Century - Alfred Rosenberg

 

[rms]

Civil War was in the twitter sphere this week so I took on Coates' recommendation and bought Grant and Battle Cry of Freedom. His 1 and 2 for Civil War books via the atlantic. Most interested in Grant, as I had the lectures of him being a failed drunk when, apparently, research argues his inability to live up to himself & how he won the war in the west.

 

[CiG]