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MKJ
Messatsu Ko Jy-ouu
Messatsu Ko Jy-ouu

Joined: 24 Nov 2000
Posts: 39805
PostPosted: 06-10-2007 01:33 AM           Profile   Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


the dog comment might help you out there, sport
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R00k
straight at you
straight at you

Joined: 18 Dec 2000
Posts: 27930
PostPosted: 06-10-2007 07:54 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


I thought it was pretty clear....
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Captain Mazda
i shave my ass
i shave my ass

Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Posts: 12875
PostPosted: 06-10-2007 08:05 AM           Profile   Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Things are usually a bit hazy at 4:30am :ninja:
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tnf
guru
guru

Joined: 13 Mar 2001
Posts: 17970
PostPosted: 06-14-2007 07:24 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


the new jack reacher book by lee child.
reacher is the man i'd like to be if i weren't myself i think. wander around with a lot of cash, kick people's ass in all manner of ways, have sex, and move on.

I did that for a summer back in '01, but for a whole lifetime it'd be tough.
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Fender
Jesus of Suburbia
Jesus of Suburbia

Joined: 14 Jan 2001
Posts: 12703
PostPosted: 06-15-2007 03:08 AM           Profile   Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Lord of the Rings
I read The Hobbit back in 6th grade or something, but never got around to LotR until now.
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Deathshroud
!Berserker!
!Berserker!

Joined: 22 Feb 2005
Posts: 1986
PostPosted: 06-29-2007 05:49 PM           Profile   Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Been reading Rant: The Oral History of Buster Casey by Chuck Palahniuk.

This guys thinks of some crazy shit. That said, the format the book is written in is very refreshing. Being able to follow the rise of a crazy ass hick through multiple accounts seems to hold my attention well. :D
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Nightshade
Tap, Nap, or Snap
Tap, Nap, or Snap

Joined: 01 Dec 2000
Posts: 27658
PostPosted: 06-29-2007 05:56 PM           Profile   Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Septimus Heap Book One: Magyk
Striking Thoughts: Bruce Lee's Wisdom For Daily Living
LabVIEW For Everyone
365 Tao
The Master Text by Helio Gracie (more reference than straight reading)
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Grudge
Approaching the singularity
Approaching the singularity

Joined: 28 Jan 2002
Posts: 13393
PostPosted: 06-30-2007 12:27 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Image
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chiQ
Frag-Muff
Frag-Muff

Joined: 09 Jan 2000
Posts: 6711
PostPosted: 06-30-2007 12:33 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


I'm reading The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side by Agatha Christie and Sheepfarmer's Daughter by Elizabeth Moon (for the umpteenth time).
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Mat Linnett
Shambolic
Shambolic

Joined: 11 Apr 2000
Posts: 7321
PostPosted: 06-30-2007 01:05 AM           Profile   Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Electric Jesus Corpse by Carlton Mellick III.
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StarShrieker
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 21 Apr 2005
Posts: 162
PostPosted: 06-30-2007 12:27 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Still reading "Histories" by Herodotus, as well as "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis (trying to understand a bit more about religion, xtianity, despite my preconceived notions).

And I might read "Jurassic Park" again :)



_________________
what lies beyond...
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Foo
Timed Out
Timed Out

Joined: 02 Aug 2000
Posts: 37834
PostPosted: 06-30-2007 01:00 PM           Profile   Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Exchange Server 2003 Pocket Consultant.

Somewhat frantically.
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Nightshade
Tap, Nap, or Snap
Tap, Nap, or Snap

Joined: 01 Dec 2000
Posts: 27658
PostPosted: 06-30-2007 05:39 PM           Profile   Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Anyone read Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon? I've heard it's excellent, but I'd like the opinion of someone I inter-respect before I buy it.
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Captain Mazda
i shave my ass
i shave my ass

Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Posts: 12875
PostPosted: 06-30-2007 06:07 PM           Profile   Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Just started The Firm by John Grisham, after finishing The Partner and The Rainmaker. Since he's a lawyer, he probably uses his own personal experiences as inspiration :icon14:
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Ryoki
Karot!
Karot!

Joined: 31 Jul 2001
Posts: 17732
PostPosted: 07-09-2007 03:28 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Bought Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson this weekend, as well as Rumsfeld: An American Disaster by Andrew Cockburn. While i was looking for a different book entirely i might add... heh, bookstores have that effect on me.

Was pleasantly surprised to find that Quicksilver turns out to be the sequel (or is it prequel?) to Cryptonomicon. :icon14:
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R00k
straight at you
straight at you

Joined: 18 Dec 2000
Posts: 27930
PostPosted: 07-09-2007 05:48 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


I recently finished Deception Point by Dan Brown and Red Dragon by Thomas Harris. I gotta say, Red Dragon is better and even creepier than the movie. You learn a whole lot more about the bad guy, from his childhood experiences (which are probably the most fucked up part of all) and what made him a monster, to a material difference in his character during the story. I bought Silence of the Lambs yesterday and I'm going to read that as well, since I've always heard it was better than the film.

I also finally bought a bilingual book of German stories. I took 3 years of German in school, and have been wanting to get something like this to dust off my reading comprehension, and learn the language better in a practical way. It's called Deutsche Erzählungen (German Stories): A Bilingual Anthology; translated and edited by Harry Steinhauer, with stories by Goethe, Hebel, Kleist, Hoffman, Stifter, Keller, Fontane, Schnitzler, Mann, Kafka and Böll.

I'm also nearly finished with Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything. What an awesome book -- thanks MKJ! :)

Maps of Meaning (Jordan Peterson) hasn't gotten a lot of reading time yet -- only about 60 pages or so. It's tough going, it reads a lot like a textbook, and it's a LOT of book.
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vileliquid1026
The World is Yours...
The World is Yours...

Joined: 03 May 2007
Posts: 885
PostPosted: 07-09-2007 07:43 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Manhattan Hunt Club by John Saul :icon14:

Got some Chuck Palahniuk books from the library but didn't have time to read any of them...
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Grudge
Approaching the singularity
Approaching the singularity

Joined: 28 Jan 2002
Posts: 13393
PostPosted: 07-09-2007 08:25 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Part 2:

Image
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Wabbit
Elite
Elite

Joined: 17 Nov 2001
Posts: 9542
PostPosted: 07-09-2007 12:37 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Ordered "Jaguars Ripped My Flesh" by Tim Cahill. I read the first few chapters and thought it was good enough to buy.
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tnf
guru
guru

Joined: 13 Mar 2001
Posts: 17970
PostPosted: 07-09-2007 12:43 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


reading the latest issue of Skeptic.
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sliver
orphan of war
orphan of war

Joined: 05 May 2005
Posts: 853
PostPosted: 07-09-2007 02:19 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Taking a break from my marathon of short fiction anthologies to (re-) enjoy the guilty pleasure of Michael Crichton's "Jurassic Park." The prose isn't exactly James Joyce or Rohinton Mistry, but it's perfectly serviceable (unlike, say, Dan Brown's syntactical bowel movements), and the story line is the height of thrillerdom. There are few books that better epitomize the words "page-turner," and the entire idea is just so brilliantly conceived I don't find it the least bit surprising that an auteur such as Spielberg could turn this material into one of the best movies ever made. GG Mike.
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R00k
straight at you
straight at you

Joined: 18 Dec 2000
Posts: 27930
PostPosted: 07-09-2007 02:52 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Do slight grammar problems really bother you that much in a fiction novel?

I haven't had any problems reading the two Dan Brown books I have.

I've thought about picking up Angels and Demons, but from what I've read it sounds like it's just The Davinci Code with different names and places.
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sliver
orphan of war
orphan of war

Joined: 05 May 2005
Posts: 853
PostPosted: 07-09-2007 08:28 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


1. Yes. Except when grammar is intentionally incorrect to reflect point of view (as with the idiot's perspective in The Sound and The Fury), I find it not only annoying but insulting when an author apparently expects me to spend time and money on prose he hasn't even polished.

2. It goes beyond correct grammar. Dan Brown has no grasp of simple literary concepts like point of view. (His use of italics to convey thought, which is a throwback to the pulp crap of yesterdecade, betrays this.) No one who appreciates literature appreciates Dan Brown, just like no one who appreciates cars buys a Honda Civic if they have real options, no one who appreciates meat orders a steak well-done, and no one who appreciates designer denim would be caught dead in a pair of Old Navy jeans. I hope that's clear.
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Ryoki
Karot!
Karot!

Joined: 31 Jul 2001
Posts: 17732
PostPosted: 07-10-2007 12:54 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


I read a few Dan Brown books because i was amazed at how incredibly shallow he manages to write, characters with no depth at all... that sort of stuff. They read like scripts for B movies.

Which i think is a talent, in a way.



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io chiamo pinguini!
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7zark7
Knight of the Sad Countenance
Knight of the Sad Countenance

Joined: 12 Nov 2001
Posts: 8033
PostPosted: 07-10-2007 07:57 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


The Rum Diary Hunter S Thompson



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My Flickr page

A lot of people would say it's a bad idea, on your first day out of prison, to go right back to stalking the tranny hooker that knocked out five of your teeth. But that's how I roll..
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R00k
straight at you
straight at you

Joined: 18 Dec 2000
Posts: 27930
PostPosted: 07-10-2007 08:14 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Dan Brown's ability isn't in classical writing or character development.

His biggest asset, IMHO, is the way he takes complex issues and makes them not only understandable, but compelling in a way that draws average readers into his yarns.

He does it with cryptography in The Davinci Code, and with pretty complex scientific ideas in Deception Point. They're not necessarily extremely accurate, but that's not really the point either.

A better comparison of an avid reader enjoying Dan Brown's books I think, is an avid film fan watching an action movie.
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sliver
orphan of war
orphan of war

Joined: 05 May 2005
Posts: 853
PostPosted: 07-10-2007 09:46 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


R00k wrote:
He does it with cryptography in The Davinci Code
No. "Trite and disingenuous" is not compelling. He did not make cryptography compelling; he used it as a cheap gimmick to help propel an absurd and so-high-concept-as-to-be-dull plot from one idiotic vignette to the next. The so-called puzzles, from anagrams to rose lines, were rubbish. Especially since he claims that it's all factually true when it's not at all.

Quote:
A better comparison of an avid reader enjoying Dan Brown's books I think, is an avid film fan watching an action movie.
The only way this analogy holds up is if you are talking about an Uwe Boll action movie -- and they are universally reviled.

Dan Brown is not a "guilty pleasure" of an intelligent reader. He writes in a way that is genuinely insulting to anyone who has read Notre Dame de Paris or A Fine Balance or Blindness or 100 Years of Solitude.
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R00k
straight at you
straight at you

Joined: 18 Dec 2000
Posts: 27930
PostPosted: 07-10-2007 09:50 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


What are you, a bitter Literature professor or something?
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zeeko
It's Sabotage!
It's Sabotage!

Joined: 07 Jul 2000
Posts: 1641
PostPosted: 07-10-2007 04:49 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Dan brown is pretty awful IMHO...

currently reading:

master and margarita by bulgakov
and anna karenina by tolstoy.

both = fucking incredible


and short history of nearly everything is also wonderful.

next on the list: fear and loathing, crime and punishment, the gambler, 100 years of solitude, don quixote, snow crash, clockwork orange, and a stephen king short story called The Long Walk
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Nightshade
Tap, Nap, or Snap
Tap, Nap, or Snap

Joined: 01 Dec 2000
Posts: 27658
PostPosted: 07-10-2007 05:40 PM           Profile   Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


If you're going to read The Long Walk, read the rest of The Bachman Books as well.
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MKJ
Messatsu Ko Jy-ouu
Messatsu Ko Jy-ouu

Joined: 24 Nov 2000
Posts: 39805
PostPosted: 07-10-2007 11:45 PM           Profile   Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


running man :lub:
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[xeno]Julios
Elite
Elite

Joined: 10 Dec 1999
Posts: 17933
PostPosted: 07-11-2007 12:13 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


the long walk left a deep impression on me. I remember the moment you finally realize, with horror, what the true nature of the competition is - the description of the "angular, pimpled, head exploding" was quite vivid to me. I read this about a decade ago, only once, and I still remember that line.

and yea - not a dan brown fan, though only read one of his books (davinci code).

I've never read 400 pages that fast in my life before - i read the entire book in under 48 hours i think.

It was coz it was like cheap crack - keeps you hooked but leaves u feeling empty.

I did like the idea of the divine feminine, though.
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[xeno]Julios
Elite
Elite

Joined: 10 Dec 1999
Posts: 17933
PostPosted: 07-11-2007 12:19 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


i'm on the third book of the riverworld series - the dark design.

(philip jose farmer)
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sliver
orphan of war
orphan of war

Joined: 05 May 2005
Posts: 853
PostPosted: 07-11-2007 11:55 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


bout to start into Guy Gavriel Kay's "Fionavar Tapestry" trilogy. I love all his other books, but they are purely fantasy, and this one starts off in modern day Toronto and somehow involves U of T students being sucked into a fantasy universe or something -- I hope he pulls it off cuz I generally hate that kind of thing right from the get-go.
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Grudge
Approaching the singularity
Approaching the singularity

Joined: 28 Jan 2002
Posts: 13393
PostPosted: 07-12-2007 12:41 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Agreed, I've always hated that thing where "ordinary" people from today get sucked into a fantasy/sci-fi setting (ever since I tried reading C.S. fucking Lewis and hating him when I was a kid) except for the books about Thomas Covenant which were tolerable and Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere which was very good.
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