read any good books lately... |
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sleeper
Prog Reviewer Joined: October 09 2005 Location: Entropia Status: Offline Points: 16449 |
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I think at this point the only thing of his that I haven't read (besides the children's books) is Dodger, though I do have it. |
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Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005
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sleeper
Prog Reviewer Joined: October 09 2005 Location: Entropia Status: Offline Points: 16449 |
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I really enjoyed that one when I read it a few years ago. |
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Horizons
Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: January 20 2011 Location: Somewhere Else Status: Offline Points: 16952 |
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Nope.
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Crushed like a rose in the riverflow.
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Triceratopsoil
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Austin you should read books.
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dwill123
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Toaster Mantis
Forum Senior Member Joined: April 12 2008 Location: Denmark Status: Offline Points: 5898 |
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I'm not sure what to think of it so far. The prose style is elegant if bleak, with the characterization being rather nuanced even for characters who appear in just one chapter, but the author doesn't follow the "show don't tell" principle that much and I'm 100 out of 300 pages into it without being sure exactly what the red thread in the story is. It's definitely interesting, though, kind of reminds me of a cross between James M. Cain and a less misanthropic Charles Bukowski. Also uses the Jamaican setting in very interesting ways. Edited by Toaster Mantis - February 21 2014 at 11:49 |
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"The past is not some static being, it is not a previous present, nor a present that has passed away; the past has its own dynamic being which is constantly renewed and renewing." - Claire Colebrook
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TheProgtologist
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin Joined: May 23 2005 Location: Baltimore,Md US Status: Offline Points: 27802 |
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Triceratopsoil
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^ A while ago I read his book The Drowned World, liked it a lot
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TheProgtologist
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I had heard of him but hadn't read any of his work until now.I'm liking High Rise quite a bit,despite the Lord of the Flies similarities.
Edited by TheProgtologist - February 27 2014 at 00:50 |
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Toaster Mantis
Forum Senior Member Joined: April 12 2008 Location: Denmark Status: Offline Points: 5898 |
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I really liked the one J. G. Ballard novel I read, weird I haven't read him more when I'm a huge fan of the 1960s British New Wave movement in science-fiction. Interesting how the speculation behind his writing is entirely from the "soft" social sciences, not something you see often in the genre.
Finished David Goodis' The Wounded and the Slain last week, by the way, and I still don't quite know what to think of it. The plot when it actually gets into motion is really interesting and captivating, but it doesn't start going anywhere until the halfway mark. The characterization is also some of the best I've seen in the genre, but again the prose style frustrates me as much as it amazes me. |
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"The past is not some static being, it is not a previous present, nor a present that has passed away; the past has its own dynamic being which is constantly renewed and renewing." - Claire Colebrook
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Toaster Mantis
Forum Senior Member Joined: April 12 2008 Location: Denmark Status: Offline Points: 5898 |
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For the record this is what I'm reading right now:
The novel in which the late great Elmore Leonard introduced the world to the character of born-in-the-wrong-century Kentucky lawman Raylan Givens. As usual for Leonard, he does a fantastic job at telling a very complex story in a way that makes it look extremely easy. Will be writing my Master's Thesis about this, to be specific Kant's definition of art. (possibly as contrasted with G. W. F. Hegel's) Surprised at how much of the page count the art theory stuff takes up. Jenny Randles is one of my favourite UFO writers, and so far this is keeping up her standard with providing a good guide to identifying unusual things seen in the sky. Right now I'm at the point where she's writing a guide on how to go on UFO skywatches. Very few albums have been as integral to shaping my taste in music as Piper at the Gates of Dawn, so it will be interesting to read an in-depth analysis of it though I'm not sure how much new Cavanagh can say when Pink Floyd might be the most overanalyzed band in rock history. Right now it seems to be taking a very biographical/sociological route, focusing not just on the band members but also the producers and businesspeople who made it possible. |
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"The past is not some static being, it is not a previous present, nor a present that has passed away; the past has its own dynamic being which is constantly renewed and renewing." - Claire Colebrook
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Finnforest
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^ I have that Piper book....a fun and informative little read.
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TheProgtologist
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Toaster Mantis
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Weird how different it feels from the one in the same series about Jethro Tull's Aqualung, which is more about the hows and whys of the songwriting and that LP's critical reception then vs. now. The book on Piper at the Gates of Dawn focuses very specifically on the creative processes involved in making the LP, and how the different personalities contributed to the recording. Edited by Toaster Mantis - March 04 2014 at 04:29 |
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"The past is not some static being, it is not a previous present, nor a present that has passed away; the past has its own dynamic being which is constantly renewed and renewing." - Claire Colebrook
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Finnforest
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^
Yes that particular series is ALL OVER THE MAP in terms of style and quality. I have several....and they range from really good to quite poor. Avoid the book for FM's Tusk..... Edited by Finnforest - March 03 2014 at 18:58 |
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TheProgtologist
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Atavachron
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Argor
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Some time ago i finished reading "Crime And Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky and it's masterpiece :) Also i read "Ice", "Black Oceans" and "Different Chants" by Jacek Dukaj and now he's my favourite Fantasy writer. Nobody can create better universes than his and write half as convinient stories in them with so well constructed characters. "Ice" is his greatest achievement i guess (it's about 1000 pages if anybody wonders) :) although i read it in Polish, don't know if in translations, language is as great as in original. I recomend it to every fan of a bit more ambitious literature and all SF fans ;)
Edited by Argor - March 09 2014 at 06:46 |
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JJLehto
Prog Reviewer Joined: April 05 2006 Location: Tallahassee, FL Status: Offline Points: 34550 |
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Recently read Slaughterhouse Five, and have to say it was pretty darn good.
I'm back to Infinite Jest, and this thing really is a challenge!
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Toaster Mantis
Forum Senior Member Joined: April 12 2008 Location: Denmark Status: Offline Points: 5898 |
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Current reading material...
I'm something of a true crime junkie and an armchair scholar of esoteric occultism so this should be right up my alley. My feelings on this book are somewhat mixed, though: While the author does bring to attention quite a few obscure cases and shows a dedication to disspelling many of the myths surrounding the better known ones, he still makes several factual errors already 50 pages in. His insistence on explaining everything through sociology also strikes me as somewhat simplistic. A direct sequel to Pronto, the last novel by Elmore Leonard I read. All the elements are there: Lots of characters manipulating each other, a very inside-jokey sense of humour, both the plot and the writing style being very complex while appearing simple etc. Being a direct sequel, though, it's much faster-paced than the other books I've read by him since he doesn't have to spend any exposition on introducing the main characters. |
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"The past is not some static being, it is not a previous present, nor a present that has passed away; the past has its own dynamic being which is constantly renewed and renewing." - Claire Colebrook
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