AxB Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 Reading Dune for the first time in 20 years. I always remember the book's chief problem as being that Herbert wrote fiction like he was delivering a history lecture, but it doesn't seem nearly as bad as I remember. The plot is still engrossing as hell. I'm reading Dune for the first time ever. I find it odd how he writes most of it in first person, but the person who's first person view we have changes all the time. Like sometimes in the same paragraph. Great story though, so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 Presumed Innocent: I saw the movie and thought I'd check out the book. Dear God, the sexism is something else. Other than that, it's a pretty good legal thriller. I think there's some interesting thoughts on the nature of obsessive love, but Turow doesn't seem to be a competent enough writer to expand on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 Presumed Innocent: I saw the movie and thought I'd check out the book. Dear God, the sexism is something else. Other than that, it's a pretty good legal thriller. I think there's some interesting thoughts on the nature of obsessive love, but Turow doesn't seem to be a competent enough writer to expand on it. http://youtu.be/tPLWbTh9_Nk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 SPOILER I did like at the end where Rusty was, like, yeah, my wife tried to frame me but she didn't really want me to get caught and it was a cry for help and she still loves me. And his cop friend is, like, nah, dude, look at all the iron clad evidence. She wanted you to get caught and rot in jail forever. And Rusty is like "Damn, that's true." An amazing ending to an otherwise OKish book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 YOUR SPOILERS ARE BAD AND YOU SHOULD FEEL BAD! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted March 24, 2015 Author Share Posted March 24, 2015 Listening to "The Martian," by Andrew Weir. Really enjoying it so far. Wasn't expecting the humor. The main character is such a smartass. I understand using humor as a shield against the world, so it definitely resonates. I don't know how accurate the science is (and there's a good bit of it), but it all sounds plausible, at the very least, and dumbed down enough to be easily followed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 If we're talking comedien books, Frankie Boyle's My Shit Life so Far is amazing. "If you get offended by any of my jokes here, by the way, feel free to Tweet your outrage on a mobile phone made by a ten year old in China!" Basically, he's a less softer Bill Hicks. Which I didn't even think was possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AxB Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 I like the way how, even though everyone knows he's a recovering alcoholic, he never mentions drinking at all, and you really have to read between the lines to work out when his drunk period was. Finished Dune. Has there ever been a suggestion that Paul Atreides is a sci-fi version of the Prophet Muhammed? Because it seems odd that he's constantly worried that he has to be careful that his followers don't embark on an Intergalctic Jihad. And for Frank Herbert to constantly use the word Jihad instead of Crusade or Holy War... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
username Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 I've been reading I, Claudius as it was a daily $2 deal on amazon a little while back. I was a bit worried it'd be a bit too historical (i.e. dry) but it actually works very well as a novel/fake-autobiography. It also has the benefit of taking place in the period of time a bit after the Rome TV show left off which made it a good historical jumping on point for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 The Secret History by Donna Tartt: Bunny might just be the most loathsome character in literature. Just an awful, unlikable person who was getting off on emotionally abusing anyone he ever met. Apparently he was based on Bret Easton Ellis. Shocker. It almost made the whole idea that the gang were struggling about whether to kill him ring false. He was so astoundingly unsympathetic and vicious I'm shocked they even argued about it. Realistically they'd have killed him within about five pages. I liked the novel and the writer is obviously incredibly smart, but it seemed to peter out a bit at the end. The narrator was maybe the least interesting character in it, which didn't help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 I liked the novel and the writer is obviously incredibly smart, but it seemed to peter out a bit at the end. This describes my thought on The Martian perfectly. Loved every bit of the setup, but then things just sorta...stop. Curious to see how Ridley Scott handles the movie. Started the new Patton Oswalt book. So far, so good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
assfax Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Journey to the end of the night. Feels good in my eyes to read the words. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingus Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Has there ever been a suggestion that Paul Atreides is a sci-fi version of the Prophet Muhammed? Because it seems odd that he's constantly worried that he has to be careful that his followers don't embark on an Intergalctic Jihad. And for Frank Herbert to constantly use the word Jihad instead of Crusade or Holy War...Oh yeah, big time. If you look closely, there's a million little parallels between the Fremen and Muslims. Paul is a blatantly messianic figure; heck, the first sequel is actually titled Dune Messiah. Bunny might just be the most loathsome character in literature. Just an awful, unlikable person who was getting off on emotionally abusing anyone he ever met. Apparently he was based on Bret Easton Ellis. Shocker.That almost makes me want to read the book, almost. I have a festering abhorrence for Ellis which borders on actual rage towards that prick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 In fairness, Tartt apparently dated Ellis for a period in the '80s, so maybe an ex isn't the most reliable witness. But Bunny is terrible. He's not a crazy, over-the-top type evil, just the petty, insidious kind you see in every day life. Which tends to get more of a reaction from people, I guess (Voldemort vs. Umbridge, maybe?) He's so bad, in fact, it sort of taints the rest of the book: Should these people feel bad about killing him? No. No, they should not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Speaking of Donna Tartt, "The Goldfinch" is probably my favorite book I read last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Hanger Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 I am goddammit fascinated by the total nightmare that this year's Hugo awards have become. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 I am goddammit fascinated by the total nightmare that this year's Hugo awards have become. I have had a passing interest in the awards over the years. I saw this post, did a google search and now... I wish I hadn't entered that snake pit. Oh my God. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cristobal Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 To anyone wondering what the above two posts are referencing, presumably you aren't that into the Hugo awards, because if you were you'd know what this is. I implore you not to seek out anything about this year's Hugo Awards. You will be a happier person for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 It's always sad when something that can be so futurist and forward-looking and that has been a conduit for so many people to find solace and a desperate and necessary sort of escapism can be hijacked by a small minority who refuse to open their minds and hearts to a world larger than their own. It's a very disheartening contradiction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red is Dead Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Currently reading "Bigger than Hitler, Better than Christ." Rik Mayall's autobiography. As a fan of his, this is brilliant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwoy2j Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 I've been on a run of bad Kindle books so I'm doing a re-read of 1984. Still one of my favorites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirSmUgly Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 I always keep a few books going at the same time. Right now, I'm re-reading Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth, reading Taco USA by Gustavo Arellano (which I only read while eating Mexican food to get the full effect), and re-reading Nixonland by Rick Perlstein, which I "read" via audiobook years ago and finally got a hard copy of myself. In fact, it reminded me of how much I enjoy Portnoy after mentioning it, so I started reading Portnoyin the middle of also reading Nixonland. I find Nixon to be an utterly fascinating character and his choices while in office to be an odd amalgam of refreshingly progressive (EPA, OSHA, opening up China) and dangerously conservative (firebombing East Asians as a matter of routine, developing the Southern Strategy, standing against bussing of black students in the South). I spent some time listening to the latest recordings that have been shared, and sometimes Nixon comes off as a bumbling idiot (as when he identifies with Archie Bunker) and in the VERY next recording he comes off as a diabolically evil dude (as when he asserts that abortion is wrong except for using it to get rid of interracial children) and then after that, he comes across as nuanced in foreign policy or self-pitying because everyone hates him or reverently awed by his mother. People are complex, to be sure, but Nixon takes the cake. I've also fairly recently read Nixon and Mao (Margaret MacMillan) and Just Plain Dick (Kevin Mattson), both of which I enjoyed to different degrees. If anyone knows of any other really good books about Richard Nixon, please let me know what you'd suggest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRGoldman Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 My partner has worked a few times with Nixon and Eisenhower's granddaughter. It's really fascinating hearing her tell stories about him, and getting a view of Nixon in his private life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Has anybody read The Dinosaur Feather by S.J. Gazan? It's one of the smoother reads I've experienced in a while. It's a thriller based on the ornithogical argument on whether modern birds evolved from dinosaurs or an earlier reptile ancestor. I know that doesn't sound exciting, but the writing style gives it an excellent flow. It is shaping up to be my favorite book that I have read so far this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liam Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 I just need to stop buying books - between Kindle deals, Amazon Used and New and charity shops, I just keep buying books. Recent purchases include: A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan A Hologram for the King by Dave Eggers A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers Beware of Pity by Stefan Zweig Papillion by Henri Charriere (sp?) The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen That is then missing out a good five or so more books. Currently reading All That Is by James Salter - really enjoying it so far. Very filmic in the way characters are introduced; you can almost imagine a voiceover providing the information for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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