The Books/Reading Thread

[The Emptier]

the Bilderberg Group is one of those conspiracy wrapped things...who knows what to believe though.

currently trying to read a lot of shit...

I read a lot of books on jazz for a research paper but currently i'm reading

my favorite composer right now, even if you don't enjoy his music or even classical music this is a great read. a real insight into a true genius, he's a dick, shit-talker and has strong opinions but he explains in depth the atrocities the soviet government went to blacklist him and torture, arrest and kill many prominent artists, writers and musicians

my interest in russian 20th century modern music (prokofiev, glazunov, rachmaninoff etc) has led me to read up on some political writings and biographies of the time, i cant recall what they are though, i need to start them

and writings by thomas jefferson and that lot

also reading up on mythology...i have to many books out right now!

 

[zabu of nΩd]

Thif lookf like it might be fomewhat difficult to underftand

 

[The Emptier]

dunno what that shits about, but the copy i have is fine so far

 

[Srontgorrth]

Currently reading:

 

[The Ozzman]

Started and completed this today:

 

[damnromulans]

I love a good book with my own face on the cover:

Need this one too.

 

[Cythraul]

Currently reading:

Issues in Marxist Philosophy, Vol. 4
The Epic of Gilgamesh

And I'm always reading The Libertarian Idea by Jan Narveson.

 

[The Ozzman]

So I guess krampus is saying that all Asians look the same?

Interesting..

 

[Cronopio]

I'm reading, like, 5 short story anthologies at the same time.

 

[Raina]

Wow, that looks like some serious literature around here. Aside from books needed for university I decided
to slowly cover a few novels and biography books I haven't read yet.

Currently reading Nicolae Steinhardt - The happiness diary ('Jurnalul fericirii'). It's about the life in prison as a political convict during the comunist regime, an event that causes the author to think about three solutions applied by dissidents of the communist regime.

 

[Cronopio]

Hey Raina, have you read any of Mircea Cărtărescu's books? If so, what did you think of them?

 

[Raina]

Oh yes, Cartarescu, intelectual plague of my youth What did you read from him? ^^

My Romanian teacher used to go wild about him and his books, so I actually read a lot of his stuff (Travesti, Blinding: The right wing and The body 1&2, Why do we love women? and some of his poetry) just for the sake of arguing, he was a really cool and smart teacher.
Mircea Cartarescu has a few interesting concepts and ideas, I first thought that he was rather commercial and his main appeal was his shocking ideas and language. However, in time I kind of cut the author some slack, I consider him to be original and inspired, although still rather vulgar...so yeah, he's got a valuable view of life, particularly in Orbitor (should be 'Blinding' in English).

On the other hand I think some of his re-interpretations of Romanian stories and especially iconic peotry (like his re-interpretation of Eminescu's 'Morning star') are absolutely ugly.

I might be more romantic than I thought , the main thing I don't like about him is the fact that he simply cuts out of the grandeaur/momentum-thingy-I-can't-name-in-English some things or feelings (like childhood, the mother, trust,love) invoke, by using a cheap sexed up imagery. What really saves the day is the fact that he can sometimes manage to still create an image of purity and cherishing, despite his excessive use of dirty words, especially seen in 'Orbitor'.

Anyway, if you feel like discussing about Cartarescu's ideas, you can do so. I am more knowledgeable in this author's work than I would have ever wanted it to be.


...I wrote so much.

 

[Cronopio]

Thanks, girl, that's excellent. Didn't expect you to be so knowledgeable on him. I've only read one of his books, but I enjoyed it very much. It was called Nostalgia and was sort of a collection of stories with a theme running through them. Quite many - relatively speaking - of his books have been translated into Swedish, among them the Orbitor trilogy, which I have sitting in my bookshelf but have, as of yet, to read. Started the first book a couple of years ago but never finished it. I will do it, though. Someday.

There was also a collection of his poetry translated into Swedish a couple of years ago, but I have not read it.

 

[Einherjar86]

Over the past several weeks I've read:

Man in the High Castle
Martian Time-Slip
Dr. Bloodmoney, or How We Got Along After the Bomb
Now Wait For Last Year
The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Ubik

All by Philip K. Dick. Reading VALIS for next week. These have also been occupying my time:

 

[Wolves83]

Last time I read a book...it was Guns, Germs & Steel by Jared Diamond. Also, during that time I was reading his other book - Collapse. Usually I was into reading non-fiction and subjects on human history/anthropology and such.

 

[Master_Yoda77]

 

[Wolves83]

ha! I remember reading that in my last few years in school. Just reading the few first pages of that book gave me a headache.

 

[The Butt]

The Grapes of Wrath fucking sucked. Hated every moment of it when I was in high-school.

 

[Master_Yoda77]

That's because you are gay.

 

[The Butt]

I will have you know I am hetero as fuck, sir.