The Books/Reading Thread

[optionthree]

Lucifer's Hammer is awesome. Niven is a great writer and that's one of his best.

Thucydides - The Peloponnesian War

CANNOT believe I forgot that one. Loved it and it is definitely very highly recommended. I quote/cite it in poli sci essays all the time.

 

[The Emptier]

currently reading

Miles, the miles davis autobiography
clockwork orange
fear and loathing in las vegas
eyewitness book on opera i got for my birthday

 

[Pitiless Wanderer]

are there any post apoc books that are worth reading? a book version of fallout 3 perhaps? something with action, interesting characters, dynamism in the story and of course excellently written prose?? i dont want anything written at high school level. i want something smart and compelling.

 

[zabu of nΩd]

I decided this was not the proper time for me to read House of Leaves, so I've gone back to the Amber chronicles that I started around the time I got the new job. I finished book 4 of 10 last night. Shit's pretty epic.

The series has a number of flaws imo, like being overloaded with these rambling descriptions of 'time-space travel' and the narrator's repetitive planning/scheming + recounting what has happened to him so far. But it also has a lot of pretty interesting magical concepts, and the politics and deceptions that go on between all the characters can be pretty fantastic.

I just wish the author's writing style were more interesting, because he has me hooked on the plot so I have to keep pressing through it.

 

[Einherjar86]

Why not the right time for House of Leaves, if you don't mind my asking?

 

[unknown]

Finished reading H.G. Wells's The Time Machine last night. Not bad. Easy read. Blatant commentary on socialism and communism.

Got this in the mail yesterday which made me squeal like a schoolgirl:

My favorite author's first work of nonfiction is a philosophical treatise humanity and how it lies to itself to continue existing. Should be quite depressing

 

[zabu of nΩd]

Why not the right time for House of Leaves, if you don't mind my asking?

I found that the book was putting me in a very special writing mood, and it seemed like a waste to be 'releasing its magic' at a time like this when my life is so busy and I don't have time to properly develop the trains of thought it was inspiring in me.

I may be making too much of this, but I don't want to take the risk in case I am right. Maybe when I get some time off I'll pick it up again.

 

[Einherjar86]

That's a good reason to take a break, if you ask me.

 

[Zephyrus]

Reading in Greek book XI of the Odyssey, and in Latin, Lucan's Pharsalia aka De Bello Civili.

 

[Draehl]

Once I finish what I'm reading I think I'll pick up Lonesome Dove. I've seen parts of the movie, and everyone praises the book pretty highly, so I'll give it a read even though it's outside my normal genres.

 

[King Richard]

I bought this at Borders this morning and read it in one sitting. I just got back from returning it and got my money back. Should I feel bad?

My friend told me a lot of Porcupine Tree's album Fear of a Blank Planet is loosely based on a lot of this book and he was right. It was pretty thick at the beginning but got progressively better towards the end, which was amazing imo.

 

[Srontgorrth]

Haha I still haven't finished that book. I got it at the library bookstore for $.75!

Did you et any other books?

 

[King Richard]

Just a few things that were on sale like a book on 259825 different places to visit, a book on Hitler with pix, and another one which I can't remember. All were $5 a piece.

 

[skeptik]

I've been reading various things within the course of the past couple weeks and will continue to do so in relation to some plans that I have for the next issue of The Heretic's Torch, some re-reading, some new stuff for me. Here's most of it:

 

[Einherjar86]

So, Dodens, have you read any China Mieville?

EDIT: and speaking of which, I recently began this:

 

[Evil?]

Just picked up Burning in water drowning in flameby Bukowski yesterday. I dig it.

 

[unknown]

sommebody's obviously on a weird fiction/supernatural horror kick, I'd say! On that note, still grinding through Thomas Ligotti's Conspiracy Against the Human Race...pretty interesting and, at times, morbidly depressing stuff

 

[skeptik]

So, Dodens, have you read any China Mieville?

No, but I looked him up and he sounds potentially interesting. I'm sure I'm going to come into contact with a lot more modern writers within the coming weeks though, which I'll explain below:

sommebody's obviously on a weird fiction/supernatural horror kick, I'd say! On that note, still grinding through Thomas Ligotti's Conspiracy Against the Human Race...pretty interesting and, at times, morbidly depressing stuff

Actually it's not really a 'kick' per se, but kind of research. I'm interviewing S.T. Joshi (the preeminent Lovecraft (and weird fiction in general) scholar for the magazine, and I'm also going to be doing one or two other things involving the weird fiction theme with the next issue as well, like an article I'll probably wind up just calling "Supernatural Horror in Metal" to rip off Lovecraft's essay. Obviously it will be about the way metal bands have used or referenced weird fiction throughout the years, how it ties into the general themes metal tends to portray, etc. It should turn out pretty cool hopefully. Excellent excuse to read and listen to a ton of cool books and music.

 

[Einherjar86]

That sounds fucking awesome. I was just asking about Mieville because he's really being touted as the future of the "weird fiction" genre; and so far, I've read Perdido Street Station and it was absolutely phenomenal. The City and the City is shaping up to be as good, if not better.

 

[rms]

I'm not really knowledgeable about books at all, what exactly is weird fiction? After these next couple books i'm out of stuff to read and don't mind having a book or two sitting around waiting to be read.